PROBATION FOR CRIME.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LVII, Issue 17595, 7 October 1920, Page 8

PROBATION FOR CRIME.

..'•...■■...' .v , ■■-...•.'...■,','.'..'. .■...:... :■■;'■:■'.':; -:..■.:... . -■ .... ■ : THE AMENDING BILL. • EXTENDING SCOPE OF ACTFORMER OFFENDERS INCLUDED. [ST KSTOBTiat'.']■ ■ ■; 's v WELLINGTON, The Offenders' Probation Bill, which has been mtroduced, in the House of Representatives,:, extends the scope of the present First Offenders Probation Ac|, by. giving' judges' and magistrates j power to grant prolwbic-n lp"all classes offenders, whether first .offenders or; not, instead pf imposing ''n-them, sentences of imprisonment. ' .In; addition to this' widening of. scope the Bill "'contains a number of amendments which have been found necessary for the administering of the First Offenders Act. ■'•'*.' The Minister for Justice (Hon, 13. P. Lee) explained to-day .that there .had r been ; rib ■'' alteration in the : law since 1886. Since that year 3466 persons of f both "seizes had been given the benefit of probation and only 285 bad abused the leniency. In many cases offenders had been placed under the Supervision of the first offenders probation * officers when technically they were hot first' offenders. By the Bill power to. adopt this course would be''given by statute.,. It was to be -made possible to : place an offender on v §robation for fivo . years instead of only ires as at present. There was another clause to give the power to prohibit the publication of the names of first offenders. By a further clause probationers were to be given power.to apply to the > Prisons Board for discharge from probation, "thus* vesting, the board with a power, similar to the one it had at present to release prisoners. There would be no publicity about the proceedings. Where a probationer committed a breach of his probation it would be possible to bring him before a magistrate and have him fined or imprisoned, whereas at present he would have to go before the Supreme Court with all'the delay and trouble attendant upon feat procedure. An offender ordered] to come up for sentence when called upon could be required to report to a probation officer under the same' conditions ■as a' probationer. These were the main provisions of the new measure, which was also to some extent a consolidation of the present legislation.