3

H.—2oa

Since 1917 the Board has dealt with the following hard-labour cases : — Table D. — Hard-labour Cases. Total individual cases considered .. .. .. .. .. . . . . 370 Number discharged from prison on recommendation of Board .. .. . . 25 Number released on probation on recommendation of Board .. . . .. 95 Left the Dominion .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . 8 Recommitted for other offences .. .. .. . . . . . . . . 1 Completed probation .. .. .. .. ... .. .. .. 39 Reporting on probation at 31st December, 1921 .. .. .. .. .. 42 Offenders Probation Act, 1920. In terms of section 12 of the Offenders Probation Act, 1920, any person granted probation under that Act is permitted to apply to the Prisons Board for discharge from probation after half the term to which he has been sentenced has expired. During the year 17 applications of this nature were received by the Board with the requisite reports from the respective Probation Officers. After due consideration of the merits of each case the Board agreed to the discharge of 13 of the applicants. Particular care was taken to see that each probationer had complied strictly with the conditions imposed, including the restitution of moneys wrongfully appropriated and costs ordered to be paid by the Court, and that the Probation Officer's report was entirely satisfactory. GENERAL SUMMARY. The following table shows the cases considered year by year by the Board since its inception : —

Table E.

From the table shown above it will be noticed that the number of cases considered in 1921 exceeded that of the previous year by almost 200. This substantial increase is largely accounted for by the extension of the powers of the Prisons Board under the Crimes Amendment Act, 1920, and the Offenders Probation Act, 1920. Where formerly the Board was restricted to the consideration of the cases of hard-labour prisoners whose sentences exceeded two years, it now, under the latest amendment to the Crimes Act, has had conferred upon it authority to deal with all hard-labour cases irrespective of length of sentence. As previously pointed out, the question of the variation of the terms imposed by the Courts upon offender probationers has now been placed in the hands of the Board, and under the Act all such persons are eligible to petition the, Board on completion of half their respective probationary periods. As will be seen, during the first year of the operation of this provision of the Act the cases of 17 -offender probationers were, dealt with, and everything points to this section being more frequently availed of as the provisions become more widely known to this particular class of offender. Of the reformative-detention prisoners released by the Board since its inception the percentage of those who have "made good " remains much the same as that shown in the previous report. In view of the trade depression and the consequential scarcity of employment the fact that 75 per cent, of those released have " made good " must be considered highly satisfactory. The habitual criminals are in an entirely different category from the reformative-detention prisoners. Almost without exception they have been passing in and out of prison for a number of years, and have generally become confirmed in their criminal habits before being declared " habituals " by the Courts. Under the circumstances the fact that 24 per cent, of those granted their liberty on the Board's recommendation have not again offended is an indication that the passing of the indeterminate-sentence law has had and is still having a satisfactory effect on a number of our more hardened offenders.

Habitual Criminals and Offenders. Reformative Detention. Probationers for Discharge from Probation. Year. Hard Labour. Crimes Offender Amend- i Probament Act. tioners. Totals. 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1.920 1921 65 159 157 117 101 102 95 87 97 74 75 105 259 403 332 273 322 329 201 471 467 564 14 92 115 75 167 18 32 18 17 170 418 560 449 374 424 138 380 ' 701 648 841 18 32 18 17 Totals 1,129 3,726 463 68 68 17 17 5,403