PROBATION PROVES EFFECTIVE PANACEA FOR CRIME

NZ Truth, Issue 1141, 13 October 1927, Page 1

PROBATION PROVES EFFECTIVE PANACEA FOR CRIME

iimiiwmimiiiimiiiimiimmimiiiiimiiiiiimmiiiiimiiiimiiiiii niiiiuiiiiiiiiiiniiiiiiiiiiiiiMiiiiiiiiinuiiiuiiiuiiiiiniiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiimiiiiiii Building Up The Moral Backbone Of First Offenders

iiiiiiriiimiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiuiiiiiiiiiiiuiiiiiiiiiiniiiniiunniiiiiimiiiiiiiiiuiiiiuiiiHiiiiii 1 Time was when the man § | who broke the law paid the § I penalty of his sins behind prison | 1 bars. That Was the only form f | of expiation he had as a rule, § | but the first offender — the man § | Toho makes a slip for the first 1 1 time — may today look forward f | to his future with some degree § | of hope. | fflumiiwiiiimiiiwHiiinmiiumiimiitiiimiimitiuuiiiniiniiHiiiiinHiuuiHii; THE system is the tonic that builds up the moral backbone of the man who was too weak to resist the temptation to crime. It restores his self-respect and has been the means of saving hardship and suffering to thousands of innocent people — parents, wives, children and friends of the men who m a moment of sudden temptation or desperation broke the law. Many offenders are beyond the reach or influence of probation, which to them means nothing more than an opportunity for abuse of freedom and a repetition of crime. To such as these no probationary system would give any benefit, and under existing conditions the only place for them to go to is the prison with all its rigorous discipline and restrictions. Probation, wisely dispensed and with reasonable restrictions, can and does reclaim the man or woman who makes a false step as a result of impulse or sudden temptation, but it cannot cope with the truly criminal mentality, except m isolated cases. The court records all over the country testify to this fact. The hardened criminal — the type of man who usually abuses probation — is always making his appearance before judge and magistrate, and it is Invariably the same old tale of chances thrown away and a wilful return to crime and lawlessness. For such as these gaol is the only remedy* but such offenders constitute only a fraction of the total dealt with every year, and it is with the great majority that the probationary system is mainly concerned. ' What it has achieved and what it can still do cannot be accurately estimated m terms of statistical returns. It is the sum total of, practical benefit to offenders- and to the community at large that counts, and it is m this direction that the system has proved of incalculable value to the State. In spite of all the arguments about a too- elastic system being an incentive rather than a deterrent to crime, there is no question that probation has been an outstanding success. Gone are the days when the youth, man, girl or woman was condemned on conviction to the soul -searing atmosphere of a gaol with all its rigorous restrictions without a chance to make good 'and reclaim their lost reputations.

MEN WON BACK TO CITIZENSHIP

Thanks to probation, the actual criminal population of the Dominion has been reduced, although it must be admitted that on the surface of things petty crime shows no decrease; if anything, there is more of it to-day than there was five years ago. This notwithstanding, the main fact is that the professional criminal population is not on the increase, thanks to the probationary system. The scope of the system is wide and varied. One of its most powerful branches — m regard to young offenders rangirig m age from 16 to 21 — is the Borstal institution, than which there could be no . finer "reformative" system for young lads.

0 The institution at Invercarglll is conducted on the most humanitarian lines, and no phase of social, educational or physical development of the youths is neglected. Then there is the system of control by the probation officers. This m itself is as humane and sympathetic aa it can possibly be made. The aim of the officers is not official terrorism, but rather is it a psychological study of types and treating each man according to his temperament and disposition with a view to bringing out the best m him and not the worst. That the utmost success has attended these methods is amply borne out by' results.

iiiuiiiuuiiiiiiuininiiiniiiiiiiiiiinuiuiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiHiiiiiiiiiiitimiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii: | Foi him there is the main- | | stay of probation — the beacon fin | m the wilderness of despair 1 | that guides the law-breaker | 1 back to decent and useful citi- | | zenship and a life free fr*m | | criminal escapades, fust what | | the probation system means to § 1 the Dominion, few people | I realise, 1 5 I = i

j In Christchurch the percentage of "backsliders" is remarkably low, and 1 Invariably those who do slip back are men who possess the criminal kink; j who have abused every chance given to them and who make no serious I effort to reform. So far as Christchurch is concerned, '. the percentage of men on probation ! who display this real criminal kink is i not greater than five per cent. Of the others they are merely men who ' have made a slip, often without any real intention to commit a crime, and i who find themselves lined up before the court to answer for some sudden Impulse or temptation that was f too strong to resist. This is the material that the probation officers take m hand. In the great majority of cases offenders who are granted probation learn their lesson. They do not resent the disciplinary control of the officer m whose care they are placed by the court. It ia the experience of the average probation officer and the members of the voluntary committees formed to assist him should he need it that once a man is released on probation he realises the leniency that has been extended to him, and he does all m his power to efface the stain on his character. In this ta.sk he receives every assistance. He is not hemmed m with innumerable irksome conditions, prohibitions, and "Thou shalt n6ts." He is treated like a human being and the measure of disciplinary control exercised over him is given out according to the type of man he is. If he plays the. game, obeys the rules and directions and reports regularly he J has nothing to fear from the probation officer, whose aim it is to treat his charges like men and appeal to the better side of them. A friend indeed is a friend m need. Such is the probation officer. He it is who smooths the way to a new begin- ■ ning. Under the probation system the ; old myth that once a man is convicted for theft he might as well turn criminar for all the chance he will have of honest employment has been largely exploded. The proof of the pudding Is always m the eating, and lawyers, social workers and others who come m contact with the system are all agreed that probation as a diet for certain offenders is the best panacea extant ; for the regulation and control of the incipient crime temperature, g