HABITUAL CRIMINALS

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1748, 6 September 1905, Page 70

HABITUAL CRIMINALS

THEIR DETENTION AND CONTROL.

The bill to provide for the detention and control of habitual criminals, which was, on the motion of the AttorneyGeneral (Mr Wade), read the first time in the N.S.W. Leglislative Assembly on the 15th inst., will, if it becomes law, supply a want which Captain Neitenstein, the Controller-General of Prisons, has for years urged, and which Judges in the criminal courts have been consistently abvocating. The measure., contains 13- clauses, of which clause 3 is the allimportant one. When any person is convicted on indictment of one of certain classes of offences the Judge may declare him an habitual criminal if he has been previously convicted on at least two occasions of poisoning or sexual offences, or three times of wounding, abortion, robbery, burglary, forgery, extortion, embezzlement, false pretences, arson, larcenv of certain degrees, or coinage. Evex-y habitual criminal will then at the expiration of the sentence imposed on him for his last offence be detained during his Majesty's pleasure, and be subject to certain regulations. He will be required to work at some trade or avocation, and will >'be offered facilities for selling or otherwise disposing of the products of his labour. Not less than one-half of the net proceeds will be handed to him. An. habitual criminal, if deemed to be sufficiently reformed or for some other good cause, may be released by the Governor's warrant, but while he remains in New South Wales he must every three months for a space of two years afterwards report to the police. If he should fail to do this or fall from grace again he will be recommitted to confinement. On the other hand, if he fulfils what is requii*ed of him at the end of the two years he will cease to be an habitual criminal. Male and female habitual criminals are to be confined separately, and they will not be allowed any alcoholic liquor.