YOUTH AND CRIME

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXX, Issue 21552, 25 July 1933, Page 10

YOUTH AND CRIME

COMMENT BY JUDGE DESTITUTION NOT A CAUSE SINGLE MEN OUTSIDE CAMPS IMPRISONMENT AS DETERRENT [MY TKI.KCKAI'H —OWN COJIUKSI'ONDKNT] WELLINGTON, Monday Observations on the increase throughout New Zealand of the crime of breaking and entering and on the treatment of offenders who come before the Courts were made by .Mr. Justice Heed in the Supreme Court to-day, when addressing the grand jury. "For some little time," said His Honor, "I have carefully observed the circumstances surrounding the commission of this class of crime as revealed not only in the eases that have come before me in the Courts, but in the files of prisoners whose sentences come up for review before the Prisons Board, and I think it well that the public should know that it is quite exceptional to find that destitution, duo to the present economic conditions, has had anything to do with the commission of the crime. "Where a man lias been driven by real want to commit a crime, somo measure of sympathy with him is natural, but. 1 repeat that such a reason in this type of case is extremely rare. Living on Proceeds of Crime "A very large number of these crimes are committed by single men of mature age, who are eligible for single men's camps, and yet prefer to stay in towns and livc'on the proceeds of crime rather than earn an honest subsistence by accepting relief work. In cases of many of those men it is a first offence, but the result is that after serving their sentences thev .return to civil life with their character besmirched and the taint of gaol upon them, rendering it difficult for them to rehabilitate themselves and tending to lead them into further crime. "A very grave responsibility rests upon those people—somo no doubt acting upon what they conceive to be a matter of principle—who actively deter men from going into camps. They cannot appreciate surely that by doing this they are assisting to manufacture criminals. It may he said that many of these men, being first offenders, should be released upon probation, but when a particular class of crime is prevalent, this cannot be done. The interests of the individual must give way to the interests of the public. Question ol Punishment "]f it be recognised that tho first time an offender is caught he will get probation, it makes for an increaso of crime. Many a man will bo deterred by the knowledge that he will get gaol if caught, and will abstain from taking tho risk, whereas tho knowledge that if ho is unfortunate enough to be detected tho worst that will happen to him is to be released on probation will constitute a direct incentive to try to obtain money by means of this particular crime. A sharp punishment of a convicted offender may deter many hesitating on the brink of crime. "There is another typo of offender in this class of crime, the youth under 21. He is not eligible for relief work and will not accept employment on a farm, but here again I have found practically no cases of crime being due to real want. A large majority live with their parents and are not in want of food and clothing. To get money to spend is often an incentive, but very often it is the spirit of adventure. This spirit of adventure I have found to be responsible for critve in crises when young men are earning quite good wages. Indirectly, the spirit of unrest at the present time tends to remove those restraining influences that in more normal times would curb the active expression of this spirit of adventure."

HIGHER DUNEDIN LIST MANY BURGLARY CHARGES [BY TELEGRAPH —PJIESB association] DUNEDIN. Monday Comment on the increase in crime in the district, chiefly breaking and entering, of which there were eight charges, was made by Mr. Justice Kennedy to-dav at the opening of the Supreme Court. Other charges ranged from dishonesty to attempted arson and manslaughter. True bills were returned in all cases.