SOCIAL DEFECTIVES
OFFENCES UNDER LAW. 'PROPOSALS FOR TREATMENT. “A noticeable feature of the year 1029,” states the annual report of the Prisons Department, “was the freer use made of the provisions in the Mental Defectives Act for the mental examination of persons charged with offences where the question of mental impairment is involved. s “In this connection many persons may be certifiable as ‘socially defective within the provisions of the Mental Defectives Amendment Act, 1927, but are not thereby relieved of criminal responsibility at law, as it «is impossible to certify that they were not aware of the nature and quality of their act and that they, did no 1 ; know-such an act to be wrong. A fixed term of imprisonment in such cases rarely affords adequate protection to society and is not always in the best interests of the offenders themselves. .
“It is hoped, as soon as the financial position improves, that it will be possible to make provision for the. treatment of such cases in an institution, or institutions, under the Mental Defectives Boat’d, where they can be detained as long as they are regarded as a danger to themselves or the community, regardless of the expiration of any sentence imposed.”
Permanent link to this item
https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/TDN19300821.2.11
Bibliographic details
Taranaki Daily News, 21 August 1930, Page 3
Word Count
203SOCIAL DEFECTIVES Taranaki Daily News, 21 August 1930, Page 3
Using This Item
Stuff Ltd is the copyright owner for the Taranaki Daily News. You can reproduce in-copyright material from this newspaper for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 3.0 New Zealand licence. This newspaper is not available for commercial use without the consent of Stuff Ltd. For advice on reproduction of out-of-copyright material from this newspaper, please refer to the Copyright guide.
Log in