OFFENDERS PROBATION UNDER OFFENDERS PROBATION ACT, 1920, AND CRIMES AMENDMENT ACT, 1910 (REPORT ON OPERATION OF), FOR THE YEAR 1928-29.

Appendix to the Journals of the House of Representatives, 1929 Session I, H-20b

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1929. NEW ZEALAND.

OFFENDERS PROBATION UNDER OFFENDERS PROBATION ACT, 1920, AND CRIMES AMENDMENT ACT, 1910 (REPORT ON OPERATION OF), FOR THE YEAR 1928-29.

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

The Hon. the Minister of Justice to His Excellency the Governor-General. Sin, — Wellington, 9th August, 1929. I have the honour to submit to Your Excellency the report of the Chief Probation Officer on the operations of the Offenders Probation Act for the year 1928-29. I have, &c., Thomas M. Wilford, Minister of Justice.

The Chief Probation Officer to the Hon. the Minister of Justice. Sir, — I have the honour to present my annual report on the work of the probation system under the Offenders Probation Act and the Crimes Amendment Act, together with the reports of the Field Organizer and the principal District Probation Officers for the year ended 31st December, 1928. This report covers the forty-third year that the system of probation has been in force in New Zealand. It came into operation on the passing of the First Offenders Probation Act, 1886, the provisions of which were later extended by the Offenders Probation Act, 1920. Two years ago the working of the probation system, was rendered more effective by the appointment of four full-time Probation Officers, and the organization of voluntary committees in the main centres and principal towns to assist the Probation Officers in the supervision and care of probationers, it being realized that the number of probationers in the centres was more than one man could satisfactorily deal with. Last year two further Probation Officers were appointed, one at Palmerston North and one at Nelson, as the work had grown to a greater degree than could be properly attended to by the local Police Probation Officers. Sufficient experience has now been gained to show that the system of working with voluntary committees is a sound one, and during the past period of industrial depression but for the assistance of voluntary helpers considerably greater difficulty would have been experienced in placing probationers in employment. We have on record many instances where members of committees have befriended probationers, taken them into their homes, and given much valuable time and assistance in finding work or helping a probationer through a difficult period at a time when, but for kindly shepherding and supervision, a further lapse into crime would have been almost inevitable. The reports from the District Probation Officers show that in the majority of cases those admitted to probation have satisfactorily responded- to this method of treatment. The number of failures represents only 8 per cent, of the total number dealt with during the year. This . does not include 23 persons who left the Dominion and whose subsequent 'conduct is not known. This splendid result is due in a measure to the sympathetic oversight maintained,.and also to the discretion exercised by the Courts in the admission of suitable cases to probation. The statistics appended hereto show that 769 persons were admitted to probation during the year and came under the supervision of Probation Officers in terms of the Offenders Probation Act. This was 49 cases iu excess of the previous year. Of the total number placed under the Department's care, 615 were by direct admission, and 154 came under the provisions of the Act under the scheme of deferred sentence. During the year under review there were 181 offenders between the ages of fifteen and twenty, as compared with 200 for the previous year. As mentioned in last year's report, in an effort to suppress delinquency among adolescents who appear to be heading for a career of crime, the Courts

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have had recourse to a more deterrent and salutary method, and in quite a number of cases Borstal detention has been prescribed. A considerable percentage of those appearing before the Courts and receiving a term of discipline and training at the Borstal have already been tried out on probation or otherwise dealt with by the Juvenile Courts. There were 192 persons between the ages of twenty and twenty-five, and 224 between the ages of twenty-five and fifty, showing that probation is by no means confined to youthful offenders. The test of suitability for probation is not one of age, although with young offenders the responsibility resting on the Courts is more grave than with older offenders, for even if institutional treatment does have a reforming influence, a young person emerges with a social stigma which is a severe handicap throughout his whole career. The real test is to distinguish between the unfortunate who in some weak moment has broken the law and those who with deliberation embark upon a criminal career. A reviewer of the recently published English statistics, commenting on the recent increase in crime, concluded by saying, " On the whole the figures lend support to the view that with the spread of education fraud has tended to supersede force in the world of crime." Where there is a clear knowledge of right and wrong and evidences of calculation and deliberation, the more generous impulses of the law are futile, and a salutary lesson is essential in the interests of society. The benefit of probation in appropriate cases, and the value of a well-organized probation system cannot be denied, but there will always be criminals who need detention for the protection of the community. As an indication of the greater effectiveness with which the scheme is being administered and the efforts to insist on stricter compliance with probationary conditions —perfunctory probation being worse than letting the offender off —it is to be noted that a total of £4,228 7s. 5d., representing restitution moneys and costs of prosecution, was collected from probationers last year. This represented an increase of 45 per cent, over the amount collected for the previous year. This fact alone may be said to justify the cost involved in connection with the recent reorganization of the probation system. The total amount collected in this manner since the inception of the scheme is £41,489, the greater portion of which represents restitution to victims—a positive feature of probation as compared with imprisonment, where the victim receives nothing and the offender becomes a charge on the taxpayer. The saving to the State in respect of those admitted to probation as compared with the cost of their maintenance in an institution is enormous. The economic factors both in regard to the State and the individual are of considerable importance, due to the fact that an offender remains a free industrial unit, maintaining his family relationships and responsibilities, and as an economic producer in the community he is not required to be supported at the public expense. The arguments for probation are concisely stated by an oversea authority in the following terms : " The loss of earning-capacity, the loosening of family ties, the social stigma, the possibility of contamination, the weakening of morale, the difficulties of readjustment, are evils borne not alone by the man who undergoes the imprisonment, but by the rest of us, to whom, no matter how we try to cut ourselves loose from the criminal, we suffer with him, not materially to any great extent perhaps, although the faithful adherence to any kind of religion would cause us to do so, but practically from the loss of money taken from us for taxes for his support, and from further injuries which this man, less suited than ever to dwell in society because of his enforced absence from it, is likely to do us. Imprisonment is therefore not something to be lightly used without thought of the damages it might do." Dealing with the Crimes Amendment Act statistics for the year under review, it is to be noted that during the year 158 cases were admitted to probation on the recommendation of the Prisons Board, and only 24 of these, which includes 12 habitual criminals, were recommitted to prison for breaches of their license. These institutional dischargees are under the care of the Probation Officers and their committees similarly to those admitted to probation direct by the Courts. The success of the cases paroled may be judged from the fact that during the quinquennium ended 31st December last 833 prisoners who had been sentenced to reformative detention or hard labour were released on probation, and during the five years only 92, or 11 per cent., were recommitted for breaches of conditions of their probation or for other offences, and 26 per cent, were reconvicted for lapses subsequent to discharge. These figures not only reflect creditably on the reformative influence of our present penal methods, but they also bear evidence of the effectiveness of our system of parole and after-care. I desire to again record the Department's appreciation of the helpful co-operation of the Magistrates who have taken the chairmanship of the Voluntary Probation Committees. I also desire to thank the members of the various committees for the time devoted to this important public service, and the kindly interest taken in befriending and assisting in the rehabilitation of those who have " fallen by the wayside." To the various Christian Churches, Y.M.C.A., Y.W.C.A., Rotarians, and other voluntary organizations and helpers grateful thanks are also extended for assistance rendered. A feature of probation is not solely the question of supervision and the conditioning of a probationer's mode of life during the actual term of probation prescribed by the Courts, but, as an English Magistrate has aptly put it, " The fallen man must be fellowed with an unfalien man," and it is hoped that by linking probationers up permanently with these organizations the socializing influence will continue long after the official probation has expired. I have pleasure in recording my deep sense of gratitude to the members of my staff, and to the police officers and others who act as Probation Officers for the zealous manner in which they have co-operated with me, as well as for the sympathetic way in which they have dealt with probationers coming under their care. With your concurrence I desire to publish as an addendum to this report an address entitled " Alternatives to Imprisonment," given by Lord Ilewart of Bury, the Lord Chief Justice of England, at the last International Prisons Congress. This address will be instructive to Probation Officers, and no doubt interesting to members of the local Judiciary, to whom copies of this report are sent. B. L. Dai, lard, Chief Probation Officer.

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ALTERNATIVES TO IMPRISONMENT. By Lord Hewart of Bury (Lord Chief Justice of England). In electing to speak for a few moments upon " Alternatives to Imprisonment " I have chosen a subject which bears some relation, at any rate, to one of the heads of your programme, but unfortunately its short title might conceivably be thought to convey some disparaging criticism of imprisonment itself. Nothing, I need hardly say, is further from my intention. It is true, indeed, as one of the experienced Prison Commissioners of England and Wales observed to me a few years ago, that at the bar of public opinion, which tends always to be imperfectly informed, prisons suffer from at least one fundamental disadvantage. Other institutions are judged by their successes : prison is always running the risk of being judged by what are regarded as its failures. A school or a college, for example, comes before the public eye, and lingers in the public memory, as one at least of the training-grounds of this or that distinguished person. But a prison, on the other hand, is always in danger of being made famous by some notorious or frequently convicted wrongdoer. The superficial criticism which results is doubly unfair, and indeed grotesque. It is unfair, in the first place, because the chief success of prison consists, after all, in preventing people from becoming prisoners. It is unfair, in the second place, because with the prisoner himself the success of prison consists precisely in this, that in relation to prison he is never heard of again. He goes back to join the citizen body, and is merged in it, and his association with prison is happily forgotten for ever. The danger of overlooking this simple fact is by no means fanciful. It is so easy for a Judge or a Magistrate, when he is faced with the dreadful task of passing sentence, to be impressed by the number and variety of the prisoner's previous convictions. The Judge has not, and still less has the public, any such vivid reminder of the enormous number of those who, after serving one term of imprisonment, are never again in the hands of the police. Any fair estimate of the results achieved by prison must obviously take account not merely of particular instances, but of the total mass, especially when, as in these days, so much imagination, patience, insight, and devotion are happily applied to the noble work of helping the prisoner both in prison and after imprisonment. The consideration, therefore, of " alternatives to imprisonment " does not in the smallest degree involve any disparagement of the functions or results of imprisonment in its proper sphere. The question rather is whether that sphere may not be deliberately and carefully limited and curtailed by the adoption of other methods in suitable circumstances and in cases of the right kind. But it is a little important to perceive clearly what, and how much, is contained in this question. It is obvious, indeed, in a sense, that one and by far the best alternative to imprisonment is to refrain from offences against the criminal law. It is obvious, also, in a sense, that another, and possibly the worst, alternative to imprisonment is to let the offender off. But the question means nothing of this kind. We are to suppose a case in which an offence has been committed, the charge has been proved, and the defendant is, under the provisions of the criminal law, liable to imprisonment. The question is whether, and how, and how far, the ends that are sought by imprisonment can be attained by other means. It is not suggested that the ends which are sought by imprisonment should be diminished, much less that they should be abandoned. The problem is to find and to apply, in proper cases, not an unsatisfactory but a real and more satisfactory alternative method of fulfilling those purposes which the welfare of society needs to have fulfilled, and which, as things stand, are normally fulfilled by a punishment consisting in imprisonment. Now, it is abundantly clear that a solution of that problem presupposes some theory, at any rate, of the functions of imprisonment, the purposes of punishment, and the aims of civilized society. In other words, one cannot usefully consider an alternative without forming first a clear conception of the meaning and the objects of that to which it is to be an alternative. For the present purpose, therefore, much, and very much, is to be taken for granted. Otherwise the inquiry must, in the Aristotelean phrase, stretch out in the direction of the infinite. Let us assume, therefore, for the sake of brevity, that, in the words of the ancient philosopher, civil society came into existence in order to make life possible, and continues to exist in order to make life good. Let us assume also that civil society, for the protection of the general welfare, and to prevent the interruption of its lawful aims, has the right and the duty to punish. The essence of the matter is well and shortly expressed by Thomas Hill Green in his memorable lectures on the principles of political obligation, now to be found in the second volume of his works. "In the crime," he says, " a right has been violated. No punishment can undo what has been done, or make good the wrong to the person who has suffered. What it can do is to make less likely the doing of a similar wrong in other cases. Its object, therefore, is not to cause pain to the criminal for the sake of causing it, nor chiefly for the sake of preventing him, individually, from committing the crime again, but to associate terror with the contemplation of the crime in the mind of others who might be tempted to commit it. And this object, unlike that of making the pain of the punishment commensurate with the guilt of the criminal, is in the main attainable. The effect of the spectacle of punishment on the onlooker is independent of any minute inquiry into the degree to which it affects the particular criminal," In like manner, Bentham, in his well-known chapter on the ends of punishment, having observed that, with respect to a given individual, the recurrence of an offence may be provided against in three ways —(1) by taking from him the physical power of offending, (2) by talcing away the desire of offending, and (3) by making him afraid of offending —hastens to add that general prevention ought to be the chief end of punishment, as it is its real justification. " If," he says, " we could consider an offence which has been committed as an isolated fact, the like of which would never recur, punishment would be useless. It would be only adding one evil to another. But when we consider that an unpunished crime leaves the path of crime open, not only to the same delinquent, but also to all those who may have the same motives and opportunities for entering upon it, we perceive that the punishment inflicted on the individual becomes a source of security to a'l. That punishment which, considered in itself, appeared base and repugnant to all generous sentiments

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is elevated to the first rank of benefits when it is regarded not as an act of wrath or of vengeance against a guilty or unfortunate individual who has given way to mischievous inclinations, but as an indispensible sacrifice to the common safety." It may well be that particular phrases in these typical passages offer scope for criticism. But in general, and for the present purpose, they may perhaps be treated as exhibiting the root of the matter. We are to look to the common safety, to the security of all, and to making less likely the doing of similar wrongs in other cases. Yes ; but a very little reflection shows that this is essentially a task of discrimination. As there are great differences between one offence and another, so also there are great differences between one offender and another, and society has come more and more to recognize that it owes a duty not only to the common security but also to the individual offender himself. Society, after all, consists not of classes but of individuals, and it is the first and most elementary task in any adjudication to try an individual case upon its merits. One hears sometimes of what are called " standardized sentences." But the standardization of sentences means the abdication of the Judge. Fortunately for mankind, neither sentences nor offenders are " standardized," and the very same considerations of public interest as those which require that one man should go into penal servitude for ten years may require that another man should not go to prison at all. Nothing, it goes without saying, is more injurious to the public interest than the manufacture of criminals. What is not so generally recognized is that there are few more effectual ways of manufacturing criminals than to send young offenders unnecessarily to prison, where they may easily find themselves far more comfortable, than they expected to be, where they may perhaps make acquaintance with men and methods likely to bring them to ruin, and where, after serving some short sentence of complete futility, they may abandon for ever their repugnance to prison and all that it involves. Grave indeed is the responsibility of those who, otherwise than in a case of clear necessity, send any youth or girl, or indeed any man or woman, to prison for the first time. Our criminal law already permits, and therefore encourages, certain alternatives in particular cases, and it would be strange indeed if this International Congress were to bring its deliberations to an end without at any rate formulating some further suggestions, or some specific improvements and developments along lines already ascertained. Everybody who is here is, no doubt, well aware of what is known in this country as the method of probation—a method of which it is a commonplace to say that its value can hardly be exaggerated, and that its opportunities have by no means as yet been fully explored. That admirable method or system, first recognized by the Summary Jurisdiction Act, 1879, continued by the Probation of First Offenders Act, 1887, and developed by the Youthful Offenders Act, 1901, has been consolidated and extended by the Probation Act, 1907, and further improved more recently in the case of certain offences. The first section of the Act of 1907 manifestly invites that discrimination to which reference has been made. It provides that where any person is charged before a Court of summary jurisdiction with an offence punishable by that Court, and the Court thinks that the charge is proved, but is of opinion that, having regard to the character, antecedents, age, health, or mental condition of the person charged, or to the trivial nature of the offence, or to the extenuating circumstances under which the offence was committed, it is inexpedient to inflict any punishment or any other than a nominal punishment, or that it is expedient to release the offender on probation, the Court may, without proceeding to conviction, make an order either (1) dismissing the information or charge, or (2) discharging the offender conditionally on his entering into a recognizance, with or without sureties, to be of good behaviour and to appear for conviction and sentence when called on at any time during such period, not exceeding three years, as may be specified in the order. Now, these are very remarkable and far-reaching powers, «nd the next subsection proceeds to confer them, with such minor changes as are necessary, upon Courts before whom any person has been convicted on indictment of any offence punishable with imprisonment. It may be doubted whether the full meaning of these provisions has been universally, or even usually, appreciated and turned to account. Wide indeed is the range of the several and alternative matters which the Legislature has deliberately invited the Court to consider for the purposes of the Act — with regard to the defendant himself, (1) his character, (2) his antecedents, (3) his age, (4) his health, or (5) his mental condition ; or, with regard to the offence charged, the question whether it was or was not really of a trivial nature ; or, finally, any extenuation to be found in the circumstances in which the offence was committed. Section 111 of the Act provides for the appointment of Probation Officers, and also of special Probation Officers called Children's Probation Officers; and Section IY describes in detail the duties which the Probation Officer is to discharge. It is his duty, subject to the directions of the Court, (a) to visit or receive reports from the person under supervision, at such reasonable intervals as may be specified in the probation order, or, subject thereto, as the Probation Officer may think fit; (b) to see that he observes the conditions of his recognizances; (c) to report to the Court as to his behaviour; (d) to advise, assist, and befriend him, and, when necessary, to endeavour to find him suitable employment. It seems useful to direct the most careful attention to the provisions of this statute. It is not necessary to explain or to enlarge upon them : they speak for themselves. But unless and until those provisions—which did not become law yesterday or the day before yesterday —have been loyally, sincerely, diligently, and vigilantly applied, what nonsense, and what mischievous nonsense, it is to deplore, for example, the painful necessity, which does not exist, of sending youthful offenders to prison for trivial offences ! To say so much is not at all to say that those provisions, and others like them, may not be misapplied. Misapplied they certainly are if, through a misuse of them, there is an acquittal where there ought to be a conviction. They are no less certainly misapplied if by an insincere afterthought they are employed, in a case stated, in order to explain, or to explain away, an acquittal which owed its origin to error in law. But these are not reasons, nor are there any reasons, why in a proper case the fullest effect should not be given to provisions so excellent and so deliberately made. It is not necessary to trouble you with statistics, which no doubt are familiar to most of you, and are in any

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event easily accessible. But it may be convenient to state quite shortly certain propositions which seem to be reasonably clear, with reference to the actual working of the system of probation : — (1) It is a system which has by 110 means been uniformly employed. In some districts apparently it is employed but little, and in some districts not at all. (2) There is evidently in some quarters an impression that probation has nothing to say to cases which are not in themselves insignificant. But this view ignores the plain terms of the statute. The " trivial nature of the offence " is only one among many of the alternative grounds to which the Court is empowered to have regard. (3) In 1923 rather more than 603,000 persons were tried in the Courts to which the statute applies. Of this number some 12,600 persons were placed on probation —that is to say, about 2 per cent. (4) There are many petty sessional divisions in which, although the Probation Act of 1907 is now eighteen years old, no Probation Officer has yet been appointed. There seems to be no good reason why any petty sessional division should be denied the advantage of a Probation Officer's services. (5) A dangerous enemy of the probation system, as of all good things, is the temptation to be perfunctory. What is wanted is extreme care and patience in the drawing-up of the order, in the making of the conditions, and not least in working them out. (6) Justices of the Peace are now as numerous as they are public-spirited. It might be a most useful service if Justices, when they release an offender on probation, were to " follow the case " and see for themselves that the probationer is behaving himself and abiding by the conditions. Happily there are now many women who are Justices. It is to be thought that, in dealing with women and girls who are probationers, the good will and the good sense of women Justices might be most usefully employed. (7) It is not merely of some but of great importance that the Court, when it releases an offender 011 probation, should be most careful not to convey any impression that probation means " letting off " for a first offence. It ought to be made clear to the offender that the offence is proved ; that discipline, recognizances, and conditions are necessary in his case ; and that if he is not sent to prison it is only because it is believed that to make him a probationer is the best way of enabling him to live down his offence, and to reinstate his character by his own efforts, aided by the experience and the sympathy of the Probation Officer. Time, and time alone, prevents for the moment any further examination of this fruitful, attractive, and not easily exhausted topic, and time would fail to tell of the great and wonderful work of Juvenile Courts, of the Children's Charter (the Children Act, 1908), of the industrial school, and of the reformatory school. Each of these topics, well deserves separate examination. Each one of the efforts with which they have severally to do has been, and is being abundantly justified by its results. But it would be wrong to omit special reference to the admirable work of the four Borstal institutions, those State training-schools to which young offenders, of either sex, between the ages of sixteen and twenty-one years, are sent to develop character and to receive definite industrial training. That period is most excellently followed up by the Borstal Association, which, in the words of its latest report, has accepted the duty of caring for all lads and girls discharged from Borstal institutions, and of doing what it can to tide them over the difficulties of the early days of freedom and to edge them unobtrusively into the ranks of ordinary honest folk. These are good works. May they increase, and succeed more and more. They make it plain that this country, at any rate, is rich in means, if they are faithfully employed, for helping those who have made a lapse and for forming or retrieving a character able to resist temptation and to avoid crime. Let us beware of any voices of indolence or of cynicism that might belittle these efforts or hamper their further development. Above all, let Us put aside the heresy that in some cases it maj be right to consult the interests of the offender while in other cases it is necessary to consult, the interests of the public. Upon any fair analysis, those interests are found to coincide. The State may sometimes be compelled to be stern : it must not be cruel: it cannot afford to be indifferent. By all means let us keep alive the feeling of terror in the contemplation of serious crime and its punishment. But let us at the same time endeavour to resist the beginnings ; let us not forget that more than half of the uncharitable judgments in the world are due to lack of imagination ; and let us remain unalterably convinced that Magnanimity owes to Prudence no account of her motives.

REPORT OF FIELD ORGANIZER. I have the honour to submit my second annual report on the organization of the probation system, more particularly as to the working of the system of voluntary committees recently instituted. During the year I have visited each of the probation districts, have renewed personal contact with the members of the various committees, and have had an opportunity of looking into the work being done. lam satisfied that the system is sound and working efficiently. With a number of probationers, in some districts, it would be impossible for the Probation Officer single-handed to devote the requisite care to every probationer, and even in cases where the Probation Officer is able to attend personally to the details it is found that the backing of an unofficial committee is of inestimable help in placing probationers in employment. The undoubted success of the system is attributable to the self-sacrificing efforts of the Probation Officers and the splendid co-operation of the committeemen associated with them. Realizing the heartening effect that honest work, even of a temporary nature, has, these gentlemen have made every effort, despite the difficulties of general unemployment, to secure opportunities for their probationers to make a fresh start. The low percentage of failures (i.e., those who have failed to fulfil the terms of their probationary licenses and have had to be again brought before the Courts), and the still lower percentage of

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unemployment of the total of those on probation, has only been accomplished by consistent and persistent effort on the part of the Probation Officers and committeemen. In many cases the conditions that have to be dealt with are not only those of the probationer himself, but his surroundings —his family, &c. Unless the home background is stabilized, and in some cases reorganized, the probationer cannot be expected to put his heart into the new work found for him. Complete success in handling a case is sometimes marred by an officer who fails to realize the necessity of going beyond the needs of the probationer himself. The thanks of this Department are due to the business men of this Dominion who by their co-operation with these committeemen during the year have encouraged this effort. There are many instances of executives, fully conversant with the doubtful qualities of many of the probationers to whom they have given employment, who have later been recompensed by faithful service, and by final complete satisfaction resulting in the probationers' promotion to further responsibilities. It has been well said that pioneering-work means risk. Those who take it have at least the satisfaction that they have given a fellow-being a chance, and, in so far as is justified, they have fulfilled a worthy public service. The position created when a probationer, giving every attention to his employment, is discharged for no other reason than the fact that his employer has been informed that he had once made a slip is in some instances worse than if employment had never been offered. The unfortunate probationer is forced by such circumstances to lose faith in himself, and his chances of re-establishment become a very difficult problem for the Probation Officer and his associate committeemen. The month spent as relieving Probation Officer gave me an opportunity of getting a closer insight into the actual working of probation, particularly in regard to Court work, and also of testing out certain ideas in relation to after-care, particularly in regard to establishing more definite contact with religious and social organizations. The ex-inmates of Invercargill Borstal released on probation have proved most satisfactory during the year under review. The co-operation of the Y.M.C.A. and the following-up of the contacts made by the national secretary of that association during the annual camp held at Invercargill for those about to be released, has contributed towards this result, and is much appreciated. The Stipendiary Magistrates of the Dominion, acting as chairmen of the twenty-two Voluntary Probation Committees, have given valuable assistance and wise counsel to the committeemen, and the confidence that they have in their Probation Officers has been demonstrated by the increasing number of problematical cases that have been granted probation. That the valiant attempt made by Probation Officers to assist those under their care to appreciate the necessity to make a life as well as a living, and to lift them from the men they were to the men they should be, is appreciated by most probationers is constantly being proved by the fact that long after the terms of their licenses have expired many of the probationers retain the friendship of their Probation Officers and seek their counsel and advice. As the best thought in the medical world is working to prevent disease by encouraging health, so in the probation field the attempt is on the lines of preventing vice by encouraging virtue. Gerald M. Silvee, Field Organizer.

REPORTS OF DISTRICT PROBATION OFFICERS. Mr. W. J. Campbell, District Probation Officer, Auckland. I have the honour to submit my seventh annual report as Probation Officer of the Auckland District, for the period ended 31st March, 1929. The number admitted to probation by the Auckland Courts during the year was 111, this nunfber being similar to that of the previous year. There has, however, been a further falling-off in the number remaining on the register, the figures this year being 177, as against 192 at the end of the previous year. Appended are the complete figures for the year under review : — Probationers on register at Ist April, 1928 .. .. . . . . 192 Probationers received from Auckland Courts .. . . 11l Probationers received on transfer . . .. .. . . 47 158 Total dealt with .. .. . . .. . . 350 Of these there were — Probationers discharged by Prisons Board .. . . . . . . 7 Probationers completed probationary term .. .. . . . . 77 Probationers transferred to other districts . . . . . . 67 Probationers left Dominion by permission . . . . . . . . 2 Probationers sentenced on original charge . . .. . . . . 5 Probationers sentenced for other offences which the termination of the probationary period antedated.. . . . . . . . . 9 Probationers who absconded and were not traced whose term expired during the period .. .. .. .. .. .. 6 — 173 Total remaining on register at Ist April, 1929 . . .. 177

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The number of probationers who came before the Court charged with other offences or with breach of the probationary conditions was 18. Added to this there were 9 probationers who absconded and were not traced, 3 of whom are still on the register. The total defaulters, therefore, numbered 27, this figure being approximately 8 per cent, of the total number dealt with during the period, a result which closely approximates that shown over the last three years' working. The amounts paid in as restitution and costs of prosecution during the year were £576 2s. Bd. and £177 19s. Bd. respectively, a total of £754 2s. 4d. This amount is about £90 less than last years' figures, but in view of the continued and prevailing unemployment it may be considered very satisfactory, as much of the amount paid represents a very genuine effort, under adverse circumstances in many cases. • There has been little change in the situation at this centre in so far as the unemployment is concerned, and the remarks in my last annual report relative to the effect of this condition on the conduct of those who again come before the Courts are reiterated. While there are those who would fail in any circumstances, it is undoubtedly the case that many of the failures during the past two years can be attributed to the lack of employment. Efforts to obtain employment for probationers out of work were not very successful generally, but in some cases positions were obtained. The members of the Voluntary Probation Committee have given every assistance in this respect, and my thanks are due to the committee for their efforts to place those who sought employment. Throughout the year the majority of probationers have done well, being of good behaviour and abiding by the probationary conditions, taking full advantage of and showing their appreciation of the chance given them to make good. Crimes Amendment Act Probationers.—The average number in this category reporting during the year was 49. Of these probationers 22 completed their term of probation, 1 left the Dominion by permission, and 10 committed fresh offences, for which they were sentenced to terms of imprisonment. Their probationary licenses were also cancelled. Three probationers absconded, and their licenses were consequently cancelled. The number remaining on the register at the end of the period was 60. Those who completed the term did so in a satisfactory manner, with four exceptions, who, while their conduct was sometimes open to question, nevertheless completed the term without further offence against the law. As in the previous year, conditions regarding employment were not good, and many of these men released from prison faced considerable difficulty in obtaining employment, this condition having a very considerable bearing on the conduct of those who lapsed, the failure in many cases being due to the inability to obtain steady work. There is a class, however, lacking in mental balance, who automatically drift into old grooves and associations, and on whom warning, advice, or expostulation appears to have little effect, and who apparently would drift whatever the conditions. The majority of those who were returned to prison or absconded were in the habitual-criminal class. Those probationers remaining on the register, with a few exceptions, are doing well, and it is gratifying to note that so many of the youths licensed from the Borstal institutions are working steadily and doing well. While fair comparison may not be quite possible, due to the differences in age, mental attitude, and outlook, between those released from Borstal institutions and those older offenders who are precluded from these institutions, one cannot but remark, when dealing with these men from year to year, the difference in bearing and tone. There can be no doubt as to the good effect the disciplinary term spent in the Borstal institutions has had on the majority of those who come under my jurisdiction from these institutions. In concluding my report I again desire to acknowledge the very kindly interest and courteous treatment which it has been my privilege to experience from the Judges of the Supreme Court and the Magistrates of the Auckland centre. The interest taken in the probation work by these gentlemen, and the confidence shown, proves very encouraging. Mr. C. Gr. L. Pollock, Probation Officer, Invercargill. I have the honour to submit the following report on the working of the probation system in the Southland District for the year ended 31st March, 1929 : — Offenders Probation Act Probationers Males. On register at the beginning of the year .. .. .. .. 28 Admitted during the year (1 for one year, 10 for two years, 3 for three years) 14 Received on transfer from other districts .. .. . . . . 19 Total dealt with during the year .. .. .. 61 Completed probation during the year .. . . .. .. .. 13 Transferred to other districts during the year .. .. .. .. 24 For non-compliance with probation terms — Committed for two years to Borstal .. .. .. .. 1 Sentenced for three months (false pretences) . . .. . . 1 Sentenced for four years reformative detention on original charge .. 1 Total removed from roll during the year .. . . . . 40 The total number dealt with (61) is 2 in excess of the previous year's total, and includes no female probationers. In 11 cases costs of prosecution amounting to £54 6s. lOd. were ordered to be paid. Towards this the sum of £43 9s. 4d. was received, of which £22 2s. was lodged to the credit of the

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Public Account, and the balance, £21 7s. 4d., paid to the Police Department. The restitution required to be made amounted to £301 2s. 3d., of which £86 19s. 3d. was collected and handed over in accordance with the orders made by the Courts. Crimes Amendment Act Probationers, and Prevention of Crime (Borstal Institutions Establishment Act) Probationers Males. On register at the beginning of the year .. .... .. 4 Received from Borstal institutions during the year .. .. .. 2 Transferred from other institutions .. .. .. .. 8 Total dealt with during the year .. .. .. .. 14 Completed probation in course of the year . . .. .. 1 Transferred to other districts .. .. .. .. .. 6 Total removed from roll during the year .. .. .. .. 7 As in the previous group, the probationers here enumerated are all males ; the total (14) being 2in excess of last year's total. The conduct of those admitted to probation from Courts has been satisfactory with one exception. In this case the offender was dealt with on a fresh charge and sentenced to six months' imprisonment. One of the principal duties of a Probation Officer, if not the most important, is to see that those under his care are suitably placed as regards employment. If the offender who is endeavpuring to win his way back to citizenship is busily employed his rehabilitation is practically assured. During the past year the unemployment question has been acute all over the Dominion, and it is but natural that it should be our most difficult problem. Taking all the circumstances into consideration, however, I think we have been fortunate in finding work for our probationers, even if it has been only temporary. For this state of affairs much credit is due to the members of the Probation Committee, who have spared neither time nor effort to assist those cases brought under their notice from time to time. To have a sympathetic friend to appeal to in time of need is invaluable for sustaining each sincere trier in the difficult task of winning an honourable place again in the community. Towards the end of the year the Stipendiary Magistrate, Mr. G. Cruickshank, who had been chairman of the voluntary committee since its inception, relinquished the position upon his retirement from the Magistracy on superannuation. During the twenty-five years Mr. Cruickshank presided over the Courts of this district he turned to the best account his opportunities of proving his understanding of delinquent types and his friendly purpose towards each offender. In voluntary as well as in his official capacities Mr. Cruickshank lent sympathetic help in furthering modern reformative schemes for dealing with law-breakers. He was a firm believer in the probation system, and made full use of its provisions to the lasting advantage of many an unfortunate. From all associated with him in this hopeful sphere of service he bears with them their enduring good wishes. To the Court officials and the police I desire to tender my thanks for assistance so ungrudgingly given whenever sought. Mr. W. H. Darby, District Probation Officer, Christchurch. In presenting my second annual report in connection with my work as Probation Officer of the Christchurch District, it gives me great pleasure to say that I believe the system continues to make substantial progress, in that it is better understood to-day than it was two years ago. Day by day, week in and week out, we have striven to let all those we have come in contact with know that our chief aim is to endeavour to make decent healthy-minded citizens out of all those who come under our supervision. It is quite true that in some cases we have failed in our endeavour, but it has not been for want of trying. Some exceedingly difficult cases have come under our notice, involving much time and thought, but I am very glad to say that, with the exception of one or two, these cases now show some signs of definite progress. Apart from the number already on probation at the commencement of the year, it will be seen that there is a big increase in the numbers released from the local Courts on probation during the year as compared with the previous year. Much of this increase is due to the satisfactory reports we have been able to submit, and also proves that the system finds favour with the authorities concerned. Only once or twice during my term of office here has my plea for the releasing of offenders on probation been refused. The difficulty that I anticipated in my last annual report regarding employment did not eventuate, and we have had little or no trouble in that respect. I am very glad to be able to report on the success of our efforts to encourage thrift among the young fellows coming under our notice. In some cases it has taken weeks of effort to get some to make a start, but once they start there is no stopping them. The realization that week by week their account in the savings-bank is growing has given them a new lease of life. Every now and then some young fellow, without being asked, will very proudly bring his book along for me to see. Some of their own free will have asked me to take care of their books and make their deposits. In all cases now, where young fellows are released on probation and have not already got an account at the savingsbank, I make it a condition that they start one right away. Once again we are constrained to gratefully acknowledge the very valuable assistance we have received from the Voluntary Probation Committee. Whenever I have found it necessary to appeal to them for help of any kind they have most generously given of their best.

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The contribution that the Superintendent (Dr. McKillop) of the Sunnyside Mental Hospital has made to our work cannot be overestimated, and I feel certain that the Department will thoroughly appreciate his help. The Prisoners' Aid Society, through its secretary, the Rev. P. Revell, has been most kind in guaranteeing the fares of probationers to positions in the country, thus relieving myself and the persons concerned of any anxiety in the matter. In conclusion I would like to say that everybody I have appealed to for help in this work responded in a wonderful way, and while such a happy state of affairs exists there is no need to fear for the success of the work. The following are the numbers we have dealt with during the year, and the amounts paid by way of restitution and costs of prosecution: Restitution, £288 10s. 4d.; costs, £34- 16s. 4d. Probationers on register at 31st March, 1928 .. .. .. .. 93 Probationers received from Christchurch Courts .. .. .. 78 Probationers transferred from other districts .. .. .. .. 25 196 Probationers discharged by Prisons Board . . .. . . 1 Probationers left Dominion by permission . . . . . . 1 Probationers sent to mental hospital .. . . . . . . 2 Probationers sent to sanitorium . . .. . . . . . . 1 Probationers completed term of probation . . .. . . 59 Probationers transferred to other districts . . .. . . 33 Probationers committed other offences .. .. .. .. 14 Probationers defaulted .. .. .. .. .. .. 5 — 116 Probationers on register at 31st March, 1929 .. .. .. 80 Mr. J. Garbutt, Probation Officer, Dunedin. I have the honour to submit the annual report on probation work in this centre for the year ended 31st March, 1929, and append a statement relative to the numbers dealt with during that period : — Court Probationers :— Number on register at Ist April, 1928 .. .. .. 82 Admitted to probation by local Courts .. .. . . .. 69 Received on transfer .. .. .. .. .. 8 — 159 Less — Discharged on completion of period .. .. .. .. 41 Discharged by Prisons Board .. .. .. .. 3 Transferred to other places .. .. .. .. 36 Dealt with by Courts on original or subsequent offences and removed from register .. .. .. .. . • 7 Left the Dominion .. .. .. .. .. .. 1 Absconders .. .. .. .. • • • • .. 2 — 90 Leaving on register at 31st March, 1929 .. .. .... 69 Releasees from Institutional Control: — Number on register at Ist April, 1928 .. .. .. 8 Released on license during year .. .. .. .. .. 21 Received on transfer from other places .. .. .. 7 — 36 Less — Discharged on completion of sentence .. .. .. .. 12 Transferred to other places .. .. .. .. 8 Returned to institutions on other charges .. .. 2 Licenses cancelled .. .. .. .. .. .. 3 Permission granted to leave Dominion .. .. .. 1 — 26 Leaving on register at 31st March. 1929 .. .. .... 10 It was found necessary to take proceedings against twelve probationers for non-compliance with the terms of their release, seven of whom, as previously mentioned, were dealt with on the original or a subsequent charge, while the remaining five were punished in a varying degree according to the nature of their lapse. Restitution to the amount of £364 ss. lid., together with costs of prosecution amounting to £29 19s. 2d., were received during the year. While these figures may not represent a very large monetary value, it is only when one is in a position to know the individual effort, self-denial, and consequent moral benefit required and derived, that a true assessment can be made. Though to some extent overshadowed by the persistent bogey of unemployment, which, unfortunately often reacts with double force on the law-breaker and deprives him of the last vestige

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of resolution to make good, the past year, taken on the whole, has, in point of numbers and general progress, followed closely on the lines of its predecessor, justifying to a great degree all that is claimed of probation as a humanitarian measure fitted for the benefit of those offenders whose departure from the narrow path has been merely temporary. The Voluntary Probation Committee continues to render helpful service both in regard to securing suitable work for those admitted to probation and, what is of infinitely more value in the end, an encouraging and sustained interest in the probationer's efforts to re-establish himself as an honourable and useful member of society. To this end—anything short of which must necessarily spell a degree of failure —must our best efforts be directed, and with a return to more normal times I trust that this essential phase of the work will develop on even broader lines than has been attempted hitherto. It is gratifying to know that as the result of a little eflort, perseverance, and fostering care on the part of members of our committee, there are men to-day holding responsible positions on business executives and other walks of life grateful for the chance given them to rise from degradation and despair. What finer inspiration could one have to continue this beneficent work on behalf of those of our fellow-men who have fallen by the way ! An encouraging feature of the work has been the increasing numbers of ex-probationers who have visited my office during the year, in most cases to express good will and appreciation for little services rendered them in their hour of need. Needless to add, such visits are highly appreciated and encouraged by your officer. As previously, I would conclude my report by placing on record the encouragement, courtesy, and kindness received from the Bench and Bar, and others associated with the Courts, also the splendid spirit of co-operation shown by social workers, without exception. To these, one and all, not omitting my associates on the Voluntary Probation Committee for many kindnesses, my warmest thanks are due. Mr. T. P. Mills, District Probation Officer, Wellington. I have the honour to report that in the year just closed the numbers dealt with were much the same as last year —viz., 249. There are, however, fewer reporting at the present time, owing to a decrease in the number of new probationers. The following particulars afford a good idea of the work done : The year commenced with 133 on the register ; 75 were placed on probation, and 41 were received from other districts. The removals were as follows : 77 successfully completed the period of probation, 45 were transferred to other districts, 4 left the Dominion permanently, 4 were discharged by the Prisons Board, 8 were imprisoned, and 3 sent to a Borstal institution, the number reporting at the close of the year being 108. Several defaulters were dealt with and punished by the Court for minor offences, only two of these requiring any further action. The fact that breaches of probation of any kind are offences in themselves is a great aid in disciplining probationers, and a prosecution is often saved by a judicious reminder. Altogether the year has been a successful one, and especially if it is considered that variant human nature makes the probation work always experimental. It is gratifying to report that, although the stress of unemployment is still with us, only four probationers were unemployed at the close of the period : two of these, however, are incapacitated, one owing to accident and the other to tuberculosis, so that actually two only were idle. Of course, this does not mean that all the others were constantly in work during the period. The employment offering has been intermittent, as most labour, unskilled especially, generally is, and this class of labour comprises fully 60 per cent, of the total probationers. The average number of unemployed probationers would probably be a little in excess of the stated number at the end of the year, which I think compares favourably with that of the general populace. It may be remarked that as the industrious man rarely thieves, the type of man to which probation is extended needs a radical change in both habits and outlook. The problem of the Probation Officer is therefore to induce industry and initiative in his charges, or, where a vitiated initiative is present, to divert such into right channels. It goes a long way towards success if a probationer can secure work for himself, and the pinch of necessity often proves a good master. It has been my practice to suggest the most promising avenues of employment, and good results frequently follow. There is, however, always a considerable number of probationers who fail in that respect, it is here that the services of the Voluntary Probationary Committee are most valuable. The community is under an increasing debt of gratitude to the sympathetic efforts of these gentlemen, who so willingly devote their time and influence to the betterment of the men referred to them. It is within the scope of this report, I think, to mention that the personnel of that committee is unchanged with the exception that Mr. E. Page, S.M., acts as chairman in place of Mr. W. G. Riddell, who has lately retired from the Magisterial office. It is interesting to record that £623 16s. 4d. was collected during the year from probationers. Restitution moneys amounted to £514 os. Id., and costs £109 16s. 3d. Crimes Amendment Act Probationers.—Ex-prisoners on parole, and ex-inmates of Borstal institutions, are, on the whole, doing well. The year began with 29 reporting, 38 were received direct from various institutions and 15 from other districts, 82 in all passing through my hands. Of this number 6 were imprisoned or returned to a Borstal institution, 1 was discharged by the Prison Board, 17 were transferred to other districts, 30 reporting at the close of the year. There were only two unemployed at the 31st March, many of the probationers in employment having had to fit into work in which they were quite inexperienced. To their credit be it said, the majority were lasting well in their respective situations. My experience with these men, and the first-offender probationers, has long inclined me to the view that prison discipline is the handmaid of the more lenient method of probation, and when the

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latter fails the institution often succeeds. Some form of constant, of more salutary treatment, impossible under the probationary system, is frequently necessary to arouse a proper sense of the futility of wrongdoing. A large proportion of young men who have had their chance under that system, and who owing to their persistent misconduct have been sent to prison or Borstal and then released to complete their sentences on parole, are much more easily controlled or advised, the common-sense acquired proving an invaluable asset in the battle of life. Miss A. J. Simpson, Probation Officer for Women, Wellington. I beg to submit my second annual report as Women's Probation Officer for the City of Wellington and district for the year ended 31st March, 1929. Women offenders admitted to probation at local Courts during the year numbered 22. Three probationers were'received orrtransfer from other districts, making a total of 25 new offenders. At commencement of the year I had 34 women reporting, and these, together with the new probationers, made a total of 59 who came officially under my control during the year. Thirty-five probationers completed their terms more or less satisfactorily, 4 were transferred to other districts, 1 left the Dominion with the Department's approval, and 1 who had committed a breach of the conditions of her license was committed to"prison. This probationer, who was already sentenced on a charge of false pretences, was the most unsatisfactory case dealt with during the year. With the exception of one or two doubtful cases, the women who completed their terms behaved well and gave every indication of|having benefited by the period served under supervision. The majority of the girls placed on probation are employed as domestics or waitresses in restaurants, and it is rarely that a girl who has been trained in any skilled occupation comes before the Court. Although it is comparatively easy to place probationers as domestics in good homes in the country districts, I experienced a difficulty in persuading some probationers to go to the country, as life in the city has a greater appeal to them. In the work of rehabilitating young women offenders, especially those who have undergone detention in an institution, the difficulties encountered are undoubtedly greater than is the case with young male offenders. Young* women who on probation from institutions, and who are placed in domestic service in specially selected private houses where they do not come in contact with their institution associates, appear to behave better and recover their former places in the community much more readily than those who, for preference, take up employment in city restaurants or factories. This is an indication that probationers should not be encouraged, except under special circumstances, to meet and associate with one another after release from an institution, nor is it desirable, as a general rule, that they should be employed immediately after release in city occupations where they come in contact almost continuously with all classes of young men and women. I consider it would be much better for them if upon release they were first employed in the country. The offenders who are admitted to probation in the Court are, of course, permitted to take up whatever employment they are suited for. Some of the girls continue after their appearance in Court with their previous employers. This is rendered possible by making a special appeal to the employer to assist in the effort to save the offender from adopting a criminal career. In a number of cases the co-operation of a new employer is invoked in exercising supervision and taking a friendly interest in his or her probationer employee. This has much to commend it, for it is noticeable that when the right contact between employer and employee is established the probationer invariably makes good. Some of the girls are linked up with the Y.W.C.A. movement. I consider this very satisfactory and hopeful, indicating as it does that the probationer is desirous of associating with young women of the right class. Unless it is undesirable for very special reasons, I keep in touch with each individual probationer at her work, and where this is not possible I visit her home and establish friendly relations with her parents or guardians. In dealing with women delinquents I endeavour to imbue them, with a . spirit of thrift —a virtue which unfortunately is generally lacking. It is pleasing to report that a number of the girls have savings-bank accounts, and some of them are so keen to show how well they can save that they exhibit their bank-books after each deposit, while some ask me to keep their bajk-books as an indication that withdrawals are not being made. My thanks are due to the Magistrates for their help and the patient consideration given to cases brought before them, also to the Court officials and the police for their unfailing courtesy. Mr. W. R. r CooK, Probation Officer, Napier. I respectfully beg to submit this my annual report for the year ended 31st March, 1929. The number placed on probation during the year was considerably in excess of that for the previous year, indicating that Magistrates are realizing to a greater extent the value of the Act both to the probationer and the community alike, where the conditions of release are carried out in the right spirit. During the year a large number of probationers have come here from other districts looking for work and assistance, and, thanks to the help received from my Voluntary Probation Committee and others, work has been found in the majority of cases. A pleasing feature of my work as Probation Officer is that in many cases the offenders continue to keep in touch with me by letter after they have left the district on license or have completed their term of probation, while others come when in difficulty for advice. This, lam sure, is the experience of all Probation Officers, and shows that the offenders feel that there is something more personal than official in the relations between themselves and the Probation Officers.

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Mr. E. Ching, Probation Officer, Wanganui. I respectfully beg to submit my annual report for the year 1928. During the year there were placed on the register 24 males and 2 females, and at the end of the year there remained on the register 18 males and 4 females. The conduct of the probationers has been very good, there being but two who did not comply with their terms. One left the district and has not been found, and the other committed a fresh offence, was convicted, and received a sentence. This record clearly shows that the granting of probation has been fully justified, and shows also sound judgment on the part of the Magistrates. I am pleased to say that the greater part of the moneys ordered to be paid are being paid. Restitution in some instances may be slow, but, taking into consideration the fact that there is much unemployment and many of the probationers have to make a fresh start in life, there is little fault to be found. Our thanks are due to the voluntary committee for its great assistance in helping the probationers to obtain work and in many other ways. Once more I have to thank the Court officials, police, and also the general public for the many acts of courtesy to me, and for the assistance given me in my work. During the year there were placed on the register of those discharged from prison 10 men, and so far they are all doing well. Mr. H. N. Richardson, Probation Officer, Gisborne. I beg to forward my report, on probationers dealt with at Gisborne during 1928. Offenders Probation Act, 1920.—0n register, Ist January, 1928, 23; placed on probation during the year, 29 ; received from other districts, 7 : total, 59. Transferred to other districts, 20; completed probation and discharged, 8 ; leaving 31 on the register on the 31st December, 1928. Five were rearrested and sentenced to various terms of imprisonment. Crimes Amendment Act. —On register, Ist January, 1928, 1 ; received from other districts, 3 ; reporting on 31st December, 1928, 2. I wish to thank the Gisborne Voluntary Probation Committee for help rendered in many directions during the year. Work has been difficult to find owing to general unemployment. I have been asked to report on a number of cases during the year, for the Magistrate's Court, and in most cases probation has been granted when recommended. Moneys ordered to be paid by the Court have been paid fairly regularly. With few exceptions the general conduct of those admitted to probation has been satisfactory.

STATISTICS. OFFENDERS PROBATION ACT, 1920. Ages and Terms of Probation of the Offenders admitted to Probation during the Year 1928.

Summary of Cases dealt with during the Year 1928. Admitted to Deferred T, , Probation. Sentence. 0 a ' Number reporting on Ist January, 1928 .. .. .. 1,037 121 1,158 Admitted to probation during 1928 .. .. .. .. 615 154 769 Totals .. .. .. .. 1,652 275 1,927 Completed probation during the year .. .. .. .. 463 99 562 Discharged by the Prisons Board .. .. .. . . 15 .. 15 Deceased .. .. .. .. . ■ .. .. 1 .. 1 Left the Dominion .. .. . . . . .. .. 20 3 23 Absconded and not traced (term expired) \. .. . . 38 8 46 Resentenced on the original charge .. .. .. .. 24 10 34 Committed further offences .. .. .. .. .. 63 5 68 Totals .. .. .. .. 624 125 749 Number reporting at 31st December .. .. .. .. 1,028 150 1,178

. . „ One Eighteen Two Three Four Five ™ , , Age, m Years. Months y Months. , Years. Years. Years. Years. ' TotaL or under. [ Under 20 years of age 12 67 1 78 22 1 .. 181 20 and under 25 12 84 1 69 24 1 1 192 25 „ 30 6 37 2 24 10 1 1 81 30 „ 40 7 28 1 37 13 .. .. 86 40 „ 50 3 20 1 21 10 1 1 57 50 „ 60 2 4 .. 9 2 .. .. 17 60 „ 70 .... 1 .. .. .. .. .. 1 Totals .. 42 241 6 238 81 4 3 615

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Breaches of Conditions of Release committed during 1928. Failed to report, &c. .. .. .. .. • • .. 45 Committed further offences .. .. .. .. .. 82 Absconded (still untraced) .. .. .. . . .. .. 39 166 Cost of Prosecution and Restitution-moneys collected during the Year ended 31st March, 1929. £ s. d. Amount of costs of prosecution-moneys collected by Probation Officers 791 4 6 Amount of restitution-moneys collected . . . . . . 3,437 2 11 4,228 7 5

Offences for which Offenders received the Benefits of the Probation Act during the Year ended 31st December 1928.

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Breaches op Conditions op Release committed during 1928. Failed to report, &c. .. .. .. .. .. .. 45 Committed further offences .. .. .. .. .. 82 Absconded (still untraced) .. .. .. . . .. .. 39 166 Cost op Prosecution and Restitution-moneys collected during the Year ended 31st March, 1929. £ s. d. Amount of costs of prosecution-moneys collected by Probation Officers 791 4 6 Amount of restitution-moneys collected . . . . . . 3,437 2 11 4,228 7 5 Oppences por which Offenders received the Benefits op the Probation Act during the Year ended 31st December 1928. Offence. j probation' ° Deferred Sentence, j Total. Theft .. • • 353 65 418 False pretences .. . . . • • • 66 18 1 84 Breaking, entering, and theft .. .. I 40 4 ! 44 Vagrancy .. .. .. • • • • 17 9 26 Unlawful conversion of property .... 17 5 22 Receiving stolen property .. .. .. 19 2 21 Forgery and uttering . . . . .. j 18 i 2 20 Common assault .. . . .. . . 13 6 19 Obscene language .. .. .. 12 4 16 Attempted suicide .. . . . . .. 1 15 16 Breach of probation . . . . . . 11 ■ • 11 Unlawfully on premises . . . . . . 7 4 11 Mischief and wilful damage ...... 6 2 8 Indecent assault . . . . . . . . 4 2 6 Indecent acts .. • • ■ ■ • • 3 2 5 Breach of Bankruptcy Act .. . . ■ . 4 . . 4 False declaration under Marriage Act .... 3 1 4 Drunkenness .. .. .. • • • • 4 4 Intoxicated while in charge of a car .... 3 . . 3 Released under section 15 (in lieu of bail) .. 3 ... 3 Disobedience of maintenance orders .... 2 1 3 Trespassing on wife's premises whilst separated .. j . . 3 3 Carnal knowledge .. .. . . . . 1 2 . . 2 Arson .. .. • • ■ ■ • • j 2 .. 2 Breach of Post and Telegraph Act .... 2 .. 2 Unlawfully supplying noxious thing .... I 1 2 Cruelty to animals .. .. . • ■ • 1 1 2 Stowing away .. . . • • • ■ • ■ 2 2 Manslaughter . . .. • . ■ ■ 1 Bigamy .. .. • • • ■ ■ • 1 Dual voting .. ■ • ■ ■ • ■ 1 Permitting use of an instrument . . .. 1 In possession of unregistered firearms . . .. 1 Breach of prohibition order .. .. . . .. 1 1 Totals 615 154 769

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CRIMES AMENDMENT ACT. Probation Statistics.

Approximate Costfof Paper.—Preparation, not given; printing (850lcopies), £16 10s.

Authority : W. A. G. Skinner, Government Printer, Wellington. —1929.

Price

Recommitted for Breaches of Conditions snWmipnt *o lipirw Admitted to Probation by Prisons Board, j of Release and for other Offences during discharged from Probation Period of Five Years. Year. ' I [ Habitual Hard Re^°™ a " T , Habitual Hard j Habitual I Hard Re «™ a " Total Criminals. Labour. Det g ntion . ° a ' Criminals. Labour. Detention . ' Criminals.! Labour. Detention . t ■ J J ! 1 ! 1924 .. 14 59 153 226 7 4 22 33 3 5 33 41 1925 .. 15 50 125 190 9 7 18 34 4 14 35 53 1926 .. 21 45 142 208 7 5 9 21 7 14 37 58 1927 .. 22 42 76 140 18 11 4 33 3 4 36 43 1928 .. 17 57 84 158 12 2 10 24 4 5 34 43 Total.. 89 253 580 922 53 29 63 145 21 42 175 238