CRIME AND COSTS

Evening Post, Volume CXL, Issue 63, 12 September 1945, Page 9

CRIME AND COSTS

FEWER PRISONERS

EXPENDITURE MOUNTING

The number of distinct persons received into New Zealand prisons during -944 was 3284, or 372 fewer than in 1943, said the annual report of the Controller-General of Prisons (Mr. B. L. Dallard), submitted to the House of Representatives yesterday afternoon. The fall in the number of receptions would have been more pronounced, hesaid, but for the fact that 108 military defaulters and courts-martial prisoners were received. The daily average number of persons in custody dropped from 1099 for 1943 to 1030 for 1944. That average would also have been lower but for the more or less static state of a number of military defaulters who were ordered to be detained for the duration.

The ratio of distinct persons to the general population for 1944 was 12.G8 per 10,000, compared with 15.17 for 1943 and 18.4G for 1942. Due allowance must be made for the fluctuation in general population because of the movement of men overseas, but it was satisfactory to observe that the general downward trend had been maintained (it was 38.61 in 1890, 13.76 in 1935, and 15.38 in 1939.

Since the outbreak of war the gross expenditure had steadily risen due to the rising costs, but it had been found possible, by more concentrated effort and the better use of available labour, to offset that increase by increased earnings or credits.

The point had now been reached where increased costs, over which the Department had only a small measure of control, had overtaken increased industrial value, with the result that the net expenditure per head showed an increase ol' £10 a year.

Some measure of the Departments endeavour to increase production over the war period was seep from the tact that in 1938-39 the net cost per head was £102, and in 1944-45 it was only £77, in spite of increased costs. The intensification of production efforts which had ■ resulted in credits _ot £64,910 in 1938-39, increased during the war to £100,451 in 1944-45.