PROBLEM OF PERVERTS.

Auckland Star, Volume 55, Issue 158, 5 July 1924, Page 11

PROBLEM OF PERVERTS.

PRISON INSPECTOR'S VIEW. TWO TYPES OP OFFENDER. THE SEGREGATION" QUESTION. (By Telegraph—Press Association.) INVEBCABGILL, Friday. The commission matters in connection with the care and treatment of feeble-minded children held a sitting in Invercargill. Mr. M. Hawkins, inspector of prisons and superintendant of the Borstal Institution, said that from 40 years' experience he was of the opinion that the root cause of much of the trouble regarding sexual matters wa-3 the lack of proper appreciation of the responsibilities devolving upon parents and teachers, not forgetting the churches. A good deal had been heard about the necessity for imparting knowledge to young people. His experience had led him to believe that the question bristled with difficulties. Placed in the wrong hands such teaching had resulted in much harm being done and only a fully qualified medical man should be allowed to deal with such matters. A system of exact classification and treatment for the various types of perverts was absolutely necessary and for this the services of a trained expert were essential The Prisons Department had endeavoured to do something by way of classification in sending the worst types of perverts to one institution especially set apart for that purpose. That, however, was not enough. Two types of perverts were to be found in the prisons. One class consisted of those who had yielded to sudden temptation and were curable. In the other class the offenders were middle-aged and elderly men chiefly, and witness was of opinion that segregation for life was the only course. Witness wa_? convinced that operative treatment was out of the question and if followed would result in some cases in the person operated upon becoming insane.

Sexual perversion among younjr girls undoubtedly existed to a considerable extent, witness stated, but there was a remarkable difference in degree. Some cases could, by proper treatment, be improved, but others were hopeless, and should be entirely segregated for life. Heredity in some cases was to be blamed, but a good percentage were children of parents of a like type who, having been deserted, had become the wards of the state and been brought up in institutions, where little was done toward eradicating their evil tendencies. As a result, a very large percentage of both youths and young girls addicted to sexual depravity came from industrial schools and other institutions under State control. It was certainly a hard thing to say, but after his long experience among perverts he had no hesitation in stating that once a man or woman had been proved to be incapable of restraining sexual impulses they should be segregated, where they could do no further harm.

In reply to a question by S'r Donald McGavin, witness said he was not in favour of sex instruction being given to a class. Too much attention could be directed toward the sexual question. It was found to be much better to deal with the whole question of the functions of the body.

To Dr. Paterson, Mr. Hawkins said he believed very little-could be done by the State in the matter of instructing young people during adolescence, and to Mr. Beck he expressed his conviction that separate institutions were necessary for the treatment of the different classes of sexual offenders.