H—2OA

The following summary gives details of the eases considered and the decisions arrived! at: — Cases dealt with Board's Decisions Persons undergoing Borstal detention .. . 352 Recommended for release on probation .. 189 Recommended for discharge .. .. Nil Deferred for later consideration .. .. 160 Applications declined .. .. .. 3 352 352 Persons sentenced to reformative detention 409 Recommended for release on probation .. 229 Recommended for discharge .. .. 2 Deferred for later consideration .. .. 172 Applications declined .. .. .. 6 409 409 Persons sentenced to hard labour .. 232 Recommended for release on probation .. 165 Recommended for discharge .. .. 3 Deferred for later consideration .. 58 Applications declined .. .. .. 6 232 232 Habitual criminals for release or remission Recommended for release on probation .. 13 of head sentence .. .. 35 Recommended for remission of head sentence .. .. .. .. 2 Deferred for later consideration .. 18 Applications declined .. .. .. 2 35 35 Probationers under Crimes Amendment Act 6 Recommended for discharge .. .. 5 Deferred for later consideration .. .. Nil Applications declined .. .. .. 1 6 6 Probationers under Offenders Probation Act 13 Discharge granted .. .. .. 11 Modification of terms of probation granted Nil Deferred for later consideration .. .. Nil Applications declined .. .. .. 2 13 13 As you are aware, Sir, for the whole of the period covered by this report the Hon. Sir Archibald Blair was President of the Board. Sir Archibald occupied that position from the 26th February, 1943, until his retirement as a Judge of the Supreme Court on 2nd February, 1948. At an earlier meeting of the Board reference was made to the Judge's impending retirement, appreciation being expressed of his unfailing courtesy and friendliness, and regret being felt at the loss of His Honour's wide experience in criminal matters. The Judge when responding said he considered the members of the Board were performing in an honorary capacity a very valuable and necessary public service both conscientiously and well, and, as he had discovered, frequently at -considerable inconvenience to themselves. I have, as already indicated, but recently assumed the office of President of the Prisons Board, and therefore do not propose to comment on the statistics for 1947, except to note that the satisfactory results shown by the statistics for previous years have continued to be maintained.

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