H.—2ob.

1922. NEW ZEALAND.

OFFENDERS PROBATION ACT, 1920 (RETORT ON OPERATIONS OF) FOR THE YEAR 1921-22.

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

The Hon. the Minister of Justice to His Excellency the Governor-General. My Lord, — Wellington, Ist September, 1922. I hove 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 1921-22. I have, &c, E. P. Lee, Minister of Justice. The Chief Probation Officer to the Hon. the. Minister of Justice. SlB — Office of the Chief Probation Officer, Wellington, 31st August, 1922. I have the honour to submit my annual report and the reports of the honorary Probation Officers on the working of the adult probation system of the Dominion for the year ending 31st March last. Until the presentation of my last year's report the operations under the First Offenders Probation Act of 1886 (consolidated 1908) were dealt with as a section of tho annual Prisons Report, but the passing of the Offenders Probation Act, 1920, so enlarged the scope of the probation system that it became necessary to publish an independent report in order that the work of this important branch of my Department should receive the attention it merited. When the 1921 report was written the new Act had been in force for only seven months. It was therefore impossible to make any definite comparison between the figures under the old and new systems. We have now, however, been working under the new Act for twenty months, and have the Statistician's figures for the full calendar year 192.1. We are thus enabled to arrive at a conclusion as to the extent to which tho Courts have availed themselves of the discretion given them to grant probation to all classes of offenders whether previously convicted or not. The, table below indicates clearly the increase in the number of offenders placed upon probation during the first full year under the amending Act, compared with the last.twelve months under the old Act.

Number of Offenders placed on Probation, showing Periods of Probation.

From the foregoing table it will be seen that the number of persons placed on probation under the new Act is 117-8 per cent, greater than under the original Act. This appears to indicate that the

1921 1920 Four Six Twelve Fifteen Eighteen Two Three Four Five T ,,, Months. Months. Months. Months. Months. Years. Years. Years. Years. 'oiiu. 1 27 209 .. 5 190 117 9 17 575 ) . . .. .. .. 14 96 .. 2 90 61 1 .. 264 Increase, 1921 over 1920 1 13 113 .. 3 100 56 8 17 311