JUVENILE CRIME IN BRITAIN

Press, Volume XCII, Issue 27851, 27 December 1955, Page 3

JUVENILE CRIME IN BRITAIN

Study Of Methods Of Courts WORK OF CHRISTCHURCH GRADUATE Porbably one of the first New Zealanders to gain the new degree of master of letters of Cambridge University is a young Christchurch man. Mr Simon Wood, who received the degree for writing a history of juvenile courts. Mr Wood, who is a graduate of Canterbury University College, spent more than two years studying' the methods used in juvenile courts in England and also visited Borstal institutions and mental homes. During this time, he was attached to the Department of Criminal Science at Cambridge, and also’ worked in conjunction with the Home Office. Juvenile crime in England was a grave problem, said Mr Wood in an interview yesterday, although there had been a decline, recently, possibly because the effects of social disturbances caused by the war were decreasing. He found in a visit to the United States that the methods used there in dealing with cases were quite different. In Great Britain, magistrates still required the strictest proof but in the United States, a more flexible approach was adopted. He considered the American, method to be more sensible, but the British method more just. , sr w h i,e at Cambridge University, Mr n. ood was president of the Emmanuel College Law Students’ Club, which is ?u e of l , h , e oldest clubs of its kind in tne world. Twenty-seven years ago his father. Mr P. Hallows Wood, was also president of the club. Among the many activities he engaged in at Cambridge was the publication of “Light Blue.” the university s sporting magazine. He was editor of the magazine for a time. He also became a special correspondent of 4 ‘The TimesZ and contributed several articles on ski-ing and law.

As a correspondent of “The Times.” he travelled to many Continental countries covering important ski-ing events and as representative of the Ski Club of Great Britain, took part m the organising and judging of many events. In Norway, he was the guest °? s* l organisations and climbed most ‘&L ln >portant peaks. He climbed the highest mountain in Norway, and ski.-ied down it. Educated at Christ’s College. Mi Wood worked as a solicitor in Christchurch before going to England five j ears ago.