SERIOUS OFFENCES.

Taranaki Daily News, 2 December 1920, Page 5

SERIOUS OFFENCES.

ALARM AT THEIR FREQUENCY. By Metro ph.—Press Assodatlor Auckland, Last Night. At a meeting of the Prisons Board to-day, the fregueney of sexual offences in the Dominion wats considered, and in view of the gravity of the position the following pronouncement was unanimously agreed to:— "Whereas an increasing number of sexual offences have been the subject of frequent and serious judicial comment, especially in cases where young children were the victims of a very serious nature of charge connected with a perversion dangerous to the moral wellbeing of society, and as the experience of the board in dealing with prisoners of this class accords, as far as it goes, with the now generally accepted opinion that, with certain exceptions, a person committing unnatural offences labors under a physical disease or disability or mental deficiency or disorder or both, which accounts'for sexual perversion and the morbid character of the offence charged, it is therefore resolved, by the Board to strongly recommend to'the Government an amendment of tho Crimes Act under which such offenders could he dealt with scientifically: (1) Before sentence is pronounced by furnishing expert medical or surgical reports or evidence: (-2) by sanctioning an indeterminate sentence; (3) by the segregation of persons so sentenced, and subjecting them under proper safeguard* to medical or surgical treatment which may bfi deemed necessary or expedient either for their own good or in the publie Interest."