H—2o

AGE OF OFFENDERS The following table shows the number of offenders qualified in age-groups over the past ten years:—•

MISCELLANEOUS Deaths.—There 6 deaths recorded during the year. With one exception all were due to*natural causes resulting from senescence or physical disability to which the prisoners were subject when admitted. One death resulted from toxgemia following an abscess caused through a prisoner swallowing foreign bodies. Escapes.—During the year 21 prisoners and 23 Borstal detainees escaped from custody. All were recaptured. Of the 23 escapees from Borstal, 12 were from the Arohata women's institution. This is a considerable drop from last year's figures, when, due to extremely unsettled conditions, the escapes from that institution and Point Halswell totalled 56. Having regard, to the character and dispositions of those in the Department's care, under a system where the reposing of trust is an important element, escapes are bound to occur. Those whose lapse into crime has largely been due to a life of indiscipline naturally chafe under restraint. Some in the early stages are unsettled and restive, whilst with others it is simply a manifestation of instability and independability, characterial traits which it is the purpose of imprisonment to correct. Escapes occasion serious inconvenience in institution management and dislocation of work, besides often causing grave anxiety to the . civilian population in the particular locality. The Courts generally take a grave view of these violations of trust when escapes do occur, but the Prisons Board gives close attention to these eases, and if the offender later shows he sees the folly of his ways and settles down, the practice is to remit a substantial portion of the added penalty. Mental Defectives. —A total of 21 persons were transferred from prisons and Borstal institutions to the various mental hospitals—l under section 34 of the Mental Defectives Act, 1911, 4 under section 37, and 'l6 under section 38. Borstal Receptions.—A total of 154 male and 19 female Borstal detainees were received direct from the Courts, and 8 females were transferred to Borstal from other institutions, 4 being transferred from the prison reformatory to Borstal. Military Defaulters. —The following table shows the number of military defaulters transferred from detention camps on Magisterial orders or under direct sentence of imprisonment to prisons during the years 1942 to 1945 inclusive:—

4

Age-group. 1936. 1937. 1938. 1939. 1940. 1941. 1942. 1943. 1944. 1 1945. Under 20 96 115 123 178 203 201 308 354 -283 254 20-25 185 303 362 424 348 478 749 639 506 524 25-30 254 282 321 413 322 405 531 396 354 343 30-40 437 456 555 612 492 533 709 490 461 470 40 and upwards 715 831 861 875 833 745 732 603 495 473 Not stated 3 4 2 3 3 7 1 Totals 1,790 .1,991 2,224 2.505 2.201 2,369 3,029 2,482 2,699 2,065

Year. (a) For Duration. (b) For a | Definite Term, j Total. 1942 . 28 11 39 1943 • « i 2 11 13 1944 . • • 1 18 38 56 1945 . 10 6 16