DETENTION OF DEGENERATES

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLVI, Issue 14244, 15 December 1909, Page 6

DETENTION OF DEGENERATES

The Industrial Schools Amendment i Bill which yesterday passed its j second reading in the Legislative | Council was very properly discussed by members, who naturally hesitated to extend the period of detention of inmates of such school over the age of 21, where this is desirable in the public interest. . But though the Council hesitated, the Council agreed, and the Bill passed on another stage towards law. This will probably be the course of public opinion. From one point of view it is an arbitrary thing to deny liberty to an inmate of an Industrial School who has attained the adult age at which the right to make an independent start in the world is supposed to be attained. But we live in a world of facts, not in a world of theories, and irresistible facts are compelling this very humane and theoretic generation to the conclusion' that while to deny liberty r , to the normal man and the good citizen is a crime, to grant it to the dangerous degenerate is equally a crime. There are forms of degeneration which do not seriously concern society for their effects arc

confined to the affected individual; but there are other forms of degeneration which are responsible for the most repulsive crimes and the most unpardonable offences against innocent people known to the criminal calendar. It is beyond question that Society has no right to: turn loose upon the community degenerates in whose depraved minds these foul crimes are incubating, only waiting for opportunity 'to be '• hatched. Civilisation has not yet j advanced to the point when it can j distinguish and segregate all dan-1 gerous persons, but in the case of I the Industrial Schools there is every i reason to think that the dangerous j degenerate may be identified and l detained. Every precaution ought , to be taken to prevent injustice, j but granted sound judgment on the part of the authorities a very con-1 siderable amount of good may result j and the, proposal is certainly a step I in the right direction. ..*..!. I