FEMALE CRIMINALS.

North Otago Times, Volume CV, Issue 13927, 9 July 1917, Page 8

FEMALE CRIMINALS.

INTERESTING STATISTICS.

The lion. J. A. Ilanan (Minister of Justice) has been interesting himself ill tile question of crime by women, and has given the. results of somo important iiivesligtitions in the matter. For the year ended December .'list, there were in our gaols SOS male prisoners and 82 females. "Is the number of female prisoners sentenced to imprisonment increasing,'" The Minister answered in the allitimative. In 1012, he -aid, there were .18; in 1913, 54; in 10.14,75; in 191,1, ,S2; and in 11)10, 82. When asked for what offences Ihe majority of the females Wfy imprisoned, Mr Ilanan stated that in 1(11 (i the principal offence s were: Incorrigible rogue, 10; rogue and vagabond. 14; idle and disorderly, 12; conducting (or assisting to conduct) houses of ill-fame, 10; soliciting prostitution, 4; theft, -I; procuring abortion, -I; other offences Ul. The first five cases, he said, cninc

much within the one category. I' What is the average age of female prisoners?" was the next question addressed to the Minister, who slated that if was about 40, slightly under half (40 of the prisoners) being under 37 years of age, and the other 42 over ,",0. Referring to the Adding!on Prison, which was opened on April 17, IflOI), Mr Ilanan stated that female prisoners were drafted to Addington from all the other prisons, A large proportion of the h-erease was thought to bo due to war conditions bringing about an increase in the number of disreputable women in -the large centres and in the neighbourhood of the camps. In all the centres drastic action had been taken during the past two years to round up and segregate this class. When asked as to the average standard of education reached by female prisoners, Mr Ilanan said the only statistics available showed that during 1910 there were 244 women received into prison, Of these none were •of superior education, 233 could read and write, two

could read only, and nine wrp llmi ij| e to read, Experience showed that, speaking generally, women of the lowest class formed the bulk of the female prison population, "Do aged women' criminals outnumber Hie men?" was the next question, "The statistics for 191(5,'- replied the Minister, "show that women of sixty years aiid over constituted 11i.2-1 per cent of the. female prison population, while on the male side the proportion of men over sixty was LS„'il per cent. If the ages were taken in each ease as lichjr fifty years and over, it is found that the old men still piedominate on a percentage basis."