INDETERMINATE SENTENCES

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LVI, 31 December 1924, Page 6

INDETERMINATE SENTENCES

INTELLIGENCE TESTS

Discussing the operation of the Indeterminate Sentences Act during the

' last year, the annual report af the Flew South Wales board, which consist* of 1 Messrs S. Mauger (chairman), C. A. 1 Topp, and W. R. Anderson, declares that the machinery provided to give effect to the act was too inadequate and crude to permit of the best possible results being obtained. Nevertheless, progress has been made that should be an encouragement to the Courts to make still greater use of the reformatory system in dealing with certain types of ceses. Some men who had been returned for failing to comply with the con- , ditions required of tnem. had shown much chagrin and resentment at the beard’s action. Aided and, abetted by a few other indeterminate men, they had

sought to bring discredit on the board’s v'ork, and to attempt the destruction of Government property. They had achieved nothing out their own punishment. It was not, perhaps, an unmixed evil that an outbreak of disorder had occurred. The men had discovered that such

conduct did not lead to freedom, and that when a chance was giver! and abused Nemesis followed in the shape of ■ a prolonged detention. On Uune- 30, 1923, there were detained in the several reformatories in -Victorial 105 prisoners, and on June 30 last the number was 140. New cases during the year, numbered 128, of which 77 were admitted to Castlemaine, and 51

to the Geelong reformatory. The total admittances for each of the last five years were 78, 106, 111, 122, and 128. The total number released on parole was 78, of which number 13 only were returned for failure to comply with the

terms of their release, ana,five were reconvicted, two in New South Wales. Of

those paroled, 12 were granted release on probation after having been at li berty for six to nine months. Intelligence tests were now applied at the Castlemaine reformatory, and up to June 30 33 inmates had been tested, 18 I of whom showed a decided mental deficiency. Two were so low in intellij gence that they were classed as low-, . grader imbecile, and wepe removed to a j mental hospital. Of the 77 admittances ito the Castlemaine reformatory during j the year only two had any education I above the eighth-grade State school. A

' number were truants, others went to I work at an early age, and nine had been committed to a refonnatory insti- . tution. i Few had had any trade inj struction. These facts all pointed to I indifferent and insufficient parental coni trol and interest. Little use was made ' of probation officers by the Courts outside the metropolitan area, and even there the, work was done by a few offii eers | interested. in philanthropic work.It was difficult to understand why the , Courts generally made so little use of the services of probation officers. It was hoped that with the appointment of a salaried probation officer the services of probation officers would be more valuable to the Courts, and so availed o£ to a. larger extent. " ,