Ashburton Guardian Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit. MONDAY, OCTOBER 31, 1921. JUVENILE DELINQUENCY.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XLII, Issue 9373, 31 October 1921, Page 4

Ashburton Guardian Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit. MONDAY, OCTOBER 31, 1921. JUVENILE DELINQUENCY.

The increase of juvenile delinquency m all parts of the Dominion seems, m the absence of official figures, to be apparent and demands the serious attention of all those who are concerned m the good order and well-being of the communityWhat is the cause of the increase, for undoubtedly there is a cause? The plea tWt crime is inspired by "pictures" is heard frequently m the juvenile police courts of the Dominion, and though it is, no doubt, often unfairly used,, the great public which loves the film is\ constrained to admit that there is sometimes reason behind the excuse. In, a more precise definition it may be held that the plea that motion pictures incite a crime infers a certain stage of moral degeneracy m the offender and it is m this primary field of investigation that the real .indictment of the cinematograph lies. There is the film, now happily banned from New Zealand, which glorifies crime, which places it under the microscope of a morbid curiosity, which makes crime appear normal, which invests it with an atmosphere of romance or sentiment, which travesties the relations between society and the criminal. But while it has become fashionable for juvenile offenders when placed m Court to fasten the responsibility of their offence on the film, and while such statements must be taken with a certain amount of reserve, there can be no question that films which depict daring crimes or scenes of bloodshed and catastrophe must have a pernicious influence upon the sensitive and imaginative mind of the child. The subject of juvenile delinquency has recently been occupying some attention m England, especially m the large provincial cities. Manchester may be taken as a case m point. A conference was held and the first thing noted was that 92.2 per cent of the offences had been committed by boys and only 7-8 by girls. The tendency to commit offences was greatest m

children apparently irrespective of sex, of 12 years old, but over 13 the number of offences committed by boys decreased, and though, much less m number, offences by girls increased gradu-

ally. Out and away the greatest number of offences committed by boys Was theft. The next greatest number was breaking m or burglary. The conference was of the opinion that incapable or indifferent parents who could not or would not maintain position m the home was one cause of the amount of juvenile crime. Another cause was the insubordination of children and the refusal to recognise parental authority by reason of the better education of the child. An example was given m the conference report of a girl who refused to obey her father and gave as a reason that he could not do her homework if he tried. A third cause Was the disinclination of parents to punish their children. They refrained from administering any form oH corporal punishment to them. Another cause was the mentality of the juvenile offenders, the alert and precocious boy leading other duller children into mischief. The conference quite openly admitted that the film should not be condemned wholesale, because there was no question that although the educational value of the film had been over-rated, there were films which were entertaining and informative. In. this connection Sir Robert Baden Powell stated recently :— "The kinema is an undoubted attraction, and it has come to stay. It might well be utilised to form a strong agent for good. •■.•■■;•■• showing educative and humourous films as a counter-attraction to others*" The conference to which we have referred, after dealing with the growth of the gambling spirit among boys,' expressed the opin r ion that one of the basal difficulties of the trouble was the want of proper home surroundings and the lack of parental control of children and it came to the conclusion that the result of the inquiry was an impeachment of parents rather than of children. The members, of the conference believed that the criminal offences attributed to children were mainly due to unconsidered mischief andi love of adventure rather than to the criminal instinct. The experience of the Old Country, of course, is not of necessity the experience of New Zealand, but it is as well that we should take jnote of such conclusions as were reached by the Manchester conference and apply them as they affect us. Jt is better to put a ; fence at the top of a precipice^ rather than keep an ambulance/at the, bottom. The essential ca^ 1 an;:; of the increase of juvenile crime m this country may lie" m out mismanagement of child natwi^. We may ha^e over-emphasise^/ r the doctrine of "original sin," with the desolating result thkt' we have set great store on discipline by repression. "We may have •• dinned into the child a whole String of "don'ts." There is a better way- There, is original goodness to appeal to latent m every a child ; deep down perhaps, but ilonhant, are instincts which ai,re noble and fine. They are there for us to guide into right channels.