PRISONS DEPARTMENT. PRISONS BOARD (ANNUAL REPORT OF) FOR 1927.

Appendix to the Journals of the House of Representatives, 1928 Session I, H-20a

H. 20a.

1928. NE W ZEAL A N D.

PRISONS DEPARTMENT. PRISONS BOARD (ANNUAL REPORT OF) FOR 1927.

Presented to both, Houses of the General Assembly by Command oj His Excellency.

Members of the Board. Hon. Sir William Sim (President); Sir George Fenwick, Kt.; William Reece, Esq.; Sir Donald McGavin, Kt., C.M.G., M.D. (Lond.); D. G. A. Cooper, Esq.; John Alexander, Esq., C.M.G.; and B. L. Dallabd, Esq., Controller-General of Prisons.

Sir, — 13th August, 1928. I have the honour to forward herewith the report of the Prisons Board for the year 1927. I have, &c., The Hon. the Minister of Justice. W. A. Sim, President.

REPORT OF THE PRISONS BOARD. For the Year ended 31st December, 1927. The Board has to report that during the year ended 31st December, 1927, it dealt with a total of 1,250 cases at meetings held at Wellington and the various prison institutions of the Dominion. The following table sets out under their respective statutory headings the number of cases considered at each meeting, together with the decisions reached : —

TABLE A.

Cases considered of I Decisions sh^JJ e^ 0a8es were i «• B -a -So s Probationers for go -a t3 o 0 S « a 3 -go £ g §a5 Discharge from Pro- £ § 2S«-°»| a .«>B Month of | go j, § l-g* bation or Variation J> 8 = ■§*"" 2,3 -C.S g a Meeting. I||J ° Termsof Release. fl o 3 "g gB| S »| °|f S gg J s|| "s | Crimes Offender g § § o § al Jjtf'e SS'S » 3 ||l | I |I|°k! mentAct. tionere. I ftfl f 1 15 S (S «5-S I McmWWM HPH H January .. - • 95 8 .. .. . • 103 19 76 3 5 .. .. .. 103 1 14 7 .. 22 10 12 22 ..1 8 5 14 .. 12 1 1 14 .. 10 29 14 .... .. .. 53 10 37 4 2 53 March .. 54 108 64' .. 3 4 3 236 60 133 25 15 2 1 236 June 4 181 108 .. 4 4 5 306 71 160 45 22 4 4 306 September 7 137 41 .. 3 5 9 202 60 111 10 10 7 1 3 202 November 38 93 70 .. 1 .. 3 205 48 122 22 10 2 1 205 December .. 101 8 .. 109 34 66 .. 9 109 115 766 325 111 13 20 1,250 312 729 110 74 15 7 3 1,250 l

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Table B. —Showing Releases and Discharges, etc., effected each Month for 1927.

In addition to those released on probation as shown in the foregoing table 90 Borstal detainees were granted parole, making a grand total of 360 released or discharged during the year. Offenders Probation Act, 1920. During the year twenty applications for discharge from probation were considered by the Board, and of this number fifteen were granted. Table C.—Reformative-detention Cases dealt with by the Board from January, 1911, to December, 1927. Total number sentenced to reformative detention .. . . .. .. .. 3,206 Released and discharged on recommendation of Board . . .. .. .. 2,324 Discharged from reformatories on completion of full sentence .. . . . . 514 Total number released .. .. .. .. . . .. .. 2,838 Of whom there were — Returned to reformatories for non-compliance with conditions of release .. 85 Committed to reformatories for further offences whilst on probation .. 168 Sentenced for offences committed after discharge or expiry of period of probation .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 396 Total number returned and recommitted . . . . .. 649 Absconded and not traced .. .. .. .. . . . . 26 Died .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 7 Left Dominion to return to former domiciles .. .. .. .. 50 Known to have been killed in action while on active service .. .. 3 Returned to Weraroa . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Transferred to Rotoroa Inebriates Institution .. .. . . . . 1 Transferred to mental hospitals .. .. .. .. . . 3 Transferred to Mount Magdala Home.. . . .. .. .. 1 Transferred to Salvation Army Home . . .. .. . . 1 Reporting on probation at 31st December, 1927 .. .. . . 56 Number who have not offended since their discharge or expiration of period of probation, and presumably doing well .. .. .. .. 2,040 2,189 2,838 Of the total number released after undergoing reformative detention 22-87 per cent, have been returned to prison either for non-compliance with conditions of release or for committing further offences, 2-68 per cent, have left the Dominion or absconded, 0-60 per cent, have died or been transferred to mental hospitals, &c., leaving 73-85 per cent, who have not further offended.

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o Released on Probation. Discharged from Prison. Discharged from Probation. p£ j f-H I © H s-, © I |0)_|C £ 1927. ° J, | ; | .2 | s | -J _ J L 1 !|.| . . -i I Totals. rS «5 2 fl 02 o3 go H #; 5 d w cS to S.Sai Sri® cd O m ""T '7r> o 3'3 o,aS® o 8 © 15 -? © « S ffi ! S -P CO rrli 02 -e9m S+3«2 ±2 9 S> M -£ =§ S °3 T* <3 ',£> *B «3 O © «B lo *r O © e8 Lfi *fl <3 O g g <=3 s- d go 'SiSo hj'SO go So &o a So « a W W 1 P3 KiW c3 W | W P3o m January .. 6 .. 17 4 .. 8 .. .. .. .. .. 35 February .. 8 .. 10 2 . . 4 .. . . .. .. .. 24 March .. 3 .. 13 4 .. 1 .. .. 1 2 1 25 April 16 15 2 .. 1 34 May.. .. 8 .. 8 3 19 June .. 2 1 8 2 . . 1 14 July .. 4 2 9 6 3 .. 4 3 31 August .. 8 1 8 ! 3 .. 1 .. .. .. .. .. 21 September .. 3 .. 6 1 .. 1 .. .. .. .. .. 11 October 2 1 8 3 2 1 2 1 7 .. 27 November .. 3 1 9 1 .. 1 .. .. .. .. 1 16 December . . 2 .. 4 .. .. 6 . . .. .. .. 1 13 Totals 49 1 22 115 i 31 .. 26 1 5 2 13 6 270 I I

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Table D.—Habitual Criminals dealt with by the Board from January, 1911, to December, 1927. Total number declared habitual criminals .. .. .. .. .. .. 436 Of whom there were released on recommendation of Board ... .. . . .. 386 Of whom there were — Returned to prison for non-compliance with conditions of release .. 45 Committed to prison for further offences .. .. .. .. 137 Sentenced for offences committed after their discharge from prison or from probation .. .. . . . . . . . . .. 34 Total number returned .. .. . . . . .. 216 Absconded and not traced .. . . .. . . . . . . 24 Died .. . . . . .. . . . . . . . . 13 Left Dominion to return to former domiciles . . . . . . . . 49 Transferred to mental hospital .. . . .. . . .. 1 Transferred to consumptive sanatorium .. . . 1 Reporting on probation at 31st December, 1927 . . .. .. 26 Number who have not offended, as far as known, since their discharge from probation, and presumably doing well .. . . . . . . 56 170 386 Of the total number of habitual criminals released on probation, 55*96 per cent, were returned to prison either for non-compliance with the conditions of probation or for committing further offences. No offences are recorded against the remaining 44-04 per cent., but our tables show that 3-89 per cent, died or were transferred to mental hospitals, whilst 18-91 per cent, left the Dominion or absconded. This leaves a definite percentage of 21-24 who have remained in the Dominion and have not further offended. Since 1917 the Board has dealt with the following hard-labour cases : — Table E. —Hard-labour Cases. Total cases considered .. .. .. .. . . 1 > 938 Number discharged from prison on recommendation of Board . . 310 Number released on probation on recommendation of Board . . 449 Left the Dominion .. .. * .. . . 21 Absconded . . . . . . .. . . 1 Recommitted for other offences . . . . . . . 29 Completed probation . . .. .. . . . 330 Reporting on probation at 31st December, 1927 . . . . 20

GENERAL SUMMARY. The following table shows the-cases considered year by year by the Board over the last decade : —

Table F.

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Probationers for Discharge from TT l • i i Probation or Habitual T> £ , • • a - 1 1*% . Variation Terms of Year. Criminals and Detention™ Hard Laboor - ReSssion' Jobation. Totals. 0fienderS ' Hard Labour. ()|Iender Amend- Probament Act. tioners. 1918 .. 87 201 1 92 .. .. .. 380 1919 .. 97 471 115 .. 18 .. 701 1920 .. 74 467 75 .. 32 .. 648 1921 .. 75 564 167 .. 18 17 841 1922 .. 93 594 271 .. 19 30 1,007 1923 .. 74 671 i 304 4 16 24 1,093 1924 .. 80 ■ 683 302 3 13 21 1,102 1925 .. 70 747 295 1 12 9 1,134 1926 49 822 237 2 12 16 1,138 1927 .. 115 766 ! 325 11 13 20 1,250 Totals 814 5,986 2,183 21 153 137 9,294

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Having but recently assumed the office of President of the Prisons Board, I do not propose to comment on the foregoing statistics except to note that the satisfactory results shown by the statistics for previous years have continued to be maintained. It is with regret the Board records the retirement of Sir Walter Stringer and Sir George Fenwick. Sir Walter's appointment as President came to an end when he retired from the Supreme Court Bench. Sir George, who has been a member of the Board since its inception, found that with advancing years he was obliged to give up a large amount of his public work, which involved considerable travelling at all times of the year. Both gentlemen have been untiring in their efforts on behalf of the Board, and have given their services willingly in a work which has had their keenest interest. W. A. Sim, President. 13th August, 1928.

Approximate Cost of Paper.—Preparation, not given; printing (750 copies), £4.

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