JUDGE AND THE LASH.

Taranaki Daily News, 29 May 1920, Page 12

JUDGE AND THE LASH.

POSSIBLE KKREC'-T ON JURIES. Tho grand jury, which was engaged at the Auckiiiml Supreme Court, made a recommendation rc;i;>riling Hogging for certain offence.-;. On the conclusion of its duties-;. the foreiVnin, addressing the Bench, en id: "Tlii!, grand jury desires that I will rc.'.|n'ctfiilly srggest that- in view of the large rfumher of offences of a sexual nature aoHlhst. young children, you take into considerate the advisability of sentencing offenderi to the lash." His Honor, Mr. .Justice Chapman: "I ran't say beforehand what I i.hall, or can do in a. case. That recommendation has been made to tiic' on several occasions by grand juries in Auckland, aiul at least once in Wellington. It. is ci waiter which lias lo be considered, but it will be found (hat most judges are very loath to sentence offenders to the lush, for one reason lest, it should be resented and lead to hasty acquittals. 1 will take your recommendation into consideration, hut you must remember my responsibilities." On the subject of the efficacy of the "eat," Ihe Common Korgei?f\t (Mr. TT. V. Dickens, K.C.), who lias twice ordered its administration to prisoners convicted of robbery with violence, marte a striking declaration at the Old P>ailev, in London, last mouth. "It is not for the purpose of reforming a man that you give him the 'cat,'" he observed. "He is generally a brute- You don't give it to him unless he is in that category. There are cases, luckily, where you can diminish crime by treating first offender? in such a way as to reform them; but in any many eases you cannot reform, and, therefore, it is essential' that you should deter others. When a man is a. callou:'', cruel brute, you cannot be said to be brutalising because you flog him in order to prevent other brutes from attacking and robbms huv-abiding member-, of the community. That is a deterrent J have 110 doubt. It was found to he the case when garrotting was put down, and such a deterrent is very much needed in these days. I don't, think anybody who has anything to do with the administration of' justice would dispute this for a moment."