THE FEEBLE-MINDED

Evening Post, Volume CXIII, Issue 112, 14 May 1927, Page 17

THE FEEBLE-MINDED

CONTROL AND CARE

HOMELESS SENILE CASES

The promotion oi light treatment of delinquency .and the prevention of crime and especially' a'reform-in dealing with the- fee'bte-mindea and, homeless senile cases were the chief subjects of an 1 address delivered'at. the Farmers' Institute last, evening by. Miss B. ■E. Baughan, of Christchiirch. :Mr.l. Salek, J.P., presided. ' ';..." ■-. .' . / - Miss Baughan said' that she had come' to Wellington as the representative of the Howard League .for Penaii Reform. Six branches had already, been formed in Hew; Zealand, and it was desired to establish a branch here; The speaker said' the members of the Wague- were not cranks, and mentioned'that a Stipendiary, Magistrate! was the president of one branch' and-the Crown Prosecutor was secretary. Mi^s Baughan' mentioned that for five years she had been an official visitdr, to the women's prison in Christchurch. Having no quarrel with the Prisons Department, out as a protest against.the existing prisons policy, she resigned in' order that she might be perfectly free-to 'try to 'get the existing penal system altered in some respects—along the lines recommended 'by the Howard League. "The league was strictly ion-sectarian and non-political, -vlt was an English league named after John Howard, thp : famous' prison reformer. of the eighteenth century.".- . '■. ' ■ ■,'•..-.'■'.

The speaker pointed out that imprisonment, .which was.stilLour chief penal instrument, had proved a.-failure' very largely, and in support. of that statement she mentioned that in a recent year 60 per cent. of. persons who had been convicted had been in nYi'son before—some of them..many times. In England in lthe same year the percentage was 66. Under present conditions was it surprising 1 that many persons camo out L of prison, inbre. a menace to society than when they went in? The proposals of the society wero put forward, not-as a complete or ambitious scheme of reconstruction but as measures which were, immediately practicable. The ebject, of tho proposals, was to check the production of habitual criminals by. avoiding unnecessary detention 1 of offenders, and by classifying prisoners witji a view of preventing thpit . degeneration, It was believed that a. considerable) jsaving of public funds" would -result from the adoption of following mens".res: — (1) Development of tho probation aystem; (2)' classification of .delinquents; (.1) reform in criminal-jurisdiction; and (i) after-care of' ex-prisoners. Tho society also belioved that it was futile to seek to givo wiso treatment to offenders without first ascertaining not only what they had done but what they were—physically, psychologically, and socially. .

Miss Baughan expressed her strong conviction that our treatment of the f eoblo-mindcd and of ' homeless senile cases was wrong, and mentioned instances in support- of her contention. Tho treatment of somo of tho latter class of cases was described as being really, barbarous. A plea was mado for tho formation of a strong branch in Wellington, and then, by co-opera-tion of all tho branches, reforms in tho direction recommended by tho league could be brought about. Mrs. M'Vicar pointed out that our hospital boards and the Sal- ation Army homes'deal with somo of the cases referred to by Miss Baughan. The chairman, in moving a vote of thanks to.tho lecturer, alluded to prison reforms which had been ca.rried out in recent years, 'including the assistance given to inniates and cx r iiimatcs of the Borstal. Institution. . .

'Dr. Platts-Mills, in seconding tho motion for- the vote of'thanks, pointed out that thje main contention of the lecturer was that there' were many cases which should never be in prison at all. The vote of thanks was carried by acclamation.' , .-,-"., . ' ' v. Miss Baughan briefly returned thanks, and names-were then received, of those willing to become members of the local" branch of the Howard League 'of Penal Eoform,.' ' ' . ■