CRIME IN N.Z.

Press, Volume LVI, Issue 16987, 9 November 1920, Page 7

CRIME IN N.Z.

* • COMMENTS OF CHIEF JUSTICE. (special to "the press.") AUCKLAND, November 8. Some interesting observations upon «rrime in New Zealand were made by tho Chief Justice (Sir Robert Stout) in tha Supreme Court this morning. His Honour, addressing tho grand jury, eaid that although there was a large number of prisoners, crime was not increasing in New Zealand; on tho contrary, it was decreasing. If they considered the number of prisoners relative to the population it would be seen it was only li»lf, according to tha proportion of the old daya. Last year, according to the population, the number of prisoners waa not much more than two-thirds of what ■it was thirty years ago. There had been a gradual diminution of crime right through New Zealand, and, added tie Chief Justice, a pleasing fOature was that there waa less crime amongst those who were New Zealand born and educated than among those from other places, there being a difference of 17 per cent, in favour of Now Zealanders, taking only tljose over 15 years of ago into consideration. That, no doubt, was caused by the fact that our education and upbringing was better than it was in many other countries. If they compared it with some of tho Australian colonies," whose system of education was not the saino as ours, thoy would see that New Zealand stood out well so far as crime was concerned. If progress was to bo nmdo in our social life everyone must take an interest in the changed attitude towards crime. That chango was especially noticeable in England. In many places there special doctors had been set apart to examine criminals and prisoners. A Birmingham doctor had pointed out lately that lie found amongst prisoners convicted in his town that a large majority of them had Bomo mental deficiency. Anyone who had to do with prisoners New Zealand would say the same thing. In a great number of our prisoners there were mental defectives, degenerates, and sexual degenerates. Somo perhaps were suffering really from what might be the sins of their fathers or grandfathers. They hnd come into the world with that burden. With this realisation tho old idea of "an eye for an eyo, a tooth for a tooth," had been abolished. His Honour pointed out that there wore many objects in sentencing prisoners, one of the chief being the chance of reforming and making good citizens out of tho offenders. Efforts in that direction had been very successful. For example, 92 per cent, of those put on probation were doing well, 70 per cent, of those separated for reformative treatment hnd been successful, and there had also been a considerable reform amongst habituals. Giving his own experience, tho Chief Justice said that he had been connected with Courts for nearly fifty years : and had been on tho Prisons Board eince its inception. He had found that the majority of prisoners coming before him had some ■mental defect. Many had a chance of being cured, and the attempt was made. That was why tho open air treatment had been adopted and the Borstal system instituted". The prisoners did valuable work—thousands of pounds worth —instead of filling in their time turning an iron cylinder, as he had seen men employed. Looking back over sixty years, one could ere that our social life had improved. All that we needed to still further improve it was to get rid of somo of the temptations in our cities. If we had less drink and less waste, and a more iudustrious spirit amongst Uβ, we would see nn enormous improvement in 4 the social life.