THE BORSTAL SYSTEM.

Evening Star, Issue 12101, 6 November 1908, Page 8

THE BORSTAL SYSTEM.

The English Prison Commissioners, in (heir report lor the year ended March 31 last, note with satisfaction the continued diminution of the number of convictions of juvenile offenders (under sixteen years). The numbers ot those between twelve years and uu“"Sl)tccn Guying the last eleven vears from j 1897 have fallen from 1,630 to 566, or by nearly two-thirds. “We have referred," the I Commissioners say, “ more than once to the i remarkable decrease in recent years in the t number of juveniles received into Birmingham Prison. Last year there were only 20, as compared with 50 the previous year, and only 5 from the city of Birmingham itself. ’ here were only 8, as compared with 20, and no case at all was received tioni the city of Birmingham— a singular example of the successful operation of the childrens court in that city. The picture drawn by the governor of Newcastle Prison as to the treatment of juveniles in that city is not so bright. Though there has been a slight decrease in the committals—from 120 to 93—the number is still high. He quotes the aiase of a boy aged fifteen who had seventeen previous convictions, and the 1 longest sentence he had ever served was five I days. He states also that when these bovs are allowed time to pay the fines they make it the practice of surrendering themselves to I the police on a Friday night, and so spend j only one night in prison. The same bovs are sometimes in prison for two or tl>ee I weeks in succession. On one occasion six I boys were received on a Friday under a I sentence of three days, and one was a sen- 1 tence of two days. They were by law re- ! leased the following morning. We concur I with the opinion of the Government as to j the absolute futility and harmfulness of deal- | ing with juvenile offenders in this way. I: 1 is the admitted evil of this unnecessary and : unwise commitment of young persons while I there are alternatives possible against which j the important provisions in the Children’s - Bill are directed, and it is earnestly hoped ! that such cases as those to which we have I referred would in future become inipos- I sible.” The reports received of the working for the year of the Borstal system, both "fun” and “modified,” are extremely satisfactory. Of the 12,644 juvenile adult male prisoners (sixteen to twenty-one years of age) received on conviction during the year. 282 were selected for special treatment at Borstal and Lincoln. The Borstal Association report that they have received 189 lads on release during the year, of whom 96 are known and 29 believed to be doing well, or 125 in all; 14 were lost sight of, 25 unsatisfactory, and 27 1 reconvicted. Of this number no fewer than 151 had an average of four previous convictions. The Association, in their report, express the opinion, with which the Commissioners agree.’ that, but for any change which the Borstal training may have made in them, and for the after care expended in

each case, most of these cases would appear to have travelled beyond recall along the road to ruin; but they go on to state that, encouraging as these figures are, they believe they will be passed when the system is further developed. It seems that in the absence ot organisation and wise direction in the earlier and critical years of life much good material is being wasted and allowed to drift until it lapses into crime or the beginning of crime.”