Front matter (continued 6)

So far then, the conclusion is that English criminals are selected by a physical condition and by a mental constitution which are independent of each other: that the one significant physical association with criminality is a generally defective physique, and that the one vital, mental constitutional factor in the etiology of crime is defective intelligence.

The question of the respective influence of heredity and environment is next considered by Dr Goring. The family histories of 1,500 convicts are examined, and two important relations are demonstrated (1) that the percentage of criminal offspring increases progressively according to whether neither parents, the mother only, the father only, or both parents are criminal: (2) that the percentage of criminal offspring becomes steadily greater as the age of the children increases from 14 to 23. With regard to age, the interesting fact results that the mean age of criminal enlistment is 22, with a deviation of nine years; and 14 to 32 may be regarded as the age when the chance of inherited criminal disposition is most likely to reveal itself—the modal age at first conviction is about 19.

It appears also that the probabilities of conviction are greatly increased when a brother has been convicted, and the greatest intensity of the fraternal, as well as of the paternal association, occurs in families tainted by the crimes of stealing and burglary, i.e., the taint of habitual and professional criminality. But though the tendency for crime to recur in families already criminally tainted is an indisputable statistical fact, it is not in itself a fact of heredity. It may be due to contagion within the corrupted home into which a criminal is born. The solution of the question as to which of the two influences, heredity or contagion, is predominant, cannot be determined by observation alone—there are numberless instances pointing one way or the other—it can only be determined by a statistical examination of family statistics, where the possible influence of each factor has been eliminated. The high degree of association between criminality in husband and wife would, at first sight, seem to furnish proof of the influence of contagion, it being a relation where heredity can be eliminated, but when it can be shown that every other married female criminal is the wife of a criminal husband, and that four out of every five alcoholic wives have alcoholic husbands, the theory of contagion gives way to a theory of 'associative or selective' mating among criminals, due to the universal tendency prevailing in every department of life, of like to mate with like. So again, if we eliminate contagion, i.e., if we examine crimes in the perpetration of which parental example would not play an important part, such as arson, damage, or sexual offences, the parental correlation is found to be greater than in stealing or burglary, when the influence of parental example would be likely to have most effect. The result arrived at is that the criminal diathesis, revealed by the tendency to be convicted and imprisoned for crime, is inherited at much the same rate as are other physical and mental qualities and pathological conditions in man, and that the influence of parental contagion is, on the whole, inconsiderable, relatively to the influence of inheritance, and of mental defectiveness, which are by far the most significant factors discovered in the etiology of crime.

Other environmental factors which are commonly alleged as the 'causes' of crime, e.g., illiteracy, alcoholism, poverty, etc., are examined statistically, so far as the data at the disposal of the author furnish ground for valid scientific conclusion.

These alleged causes are, in reality, nothing more than the co-existence of associated phenomena, and until such association is analysed by statistical methods, causation, in the strict scientific sense, cannot be demonstrated. Thus, to take a general instance: poverty and illiteracy are often described as the 'causes' of crime, but as more than a third of the population of Great Britain belongs to the class of general labourers, who are presumably both poor and illiterate, such a statement can mean no more than that there is a more frequent association of criminal acts with persons living on a low rather than on a high economic scale. The exact numerical measure of the association can only be obtained by elaborate statistical comparison, the data for which are not in existence.

As a matter of fact, a statistical comparison of the penal records of convicts reveals the startling fact that if there be any relation between a convict's education and the frequency of his convictions for crime, it is that those who have received no schooling are the least frequently convicted, and that the worst penal records are of those who have passed through reformatory and industrial schools. Again, if we take alcoholism—it is the fact that deaths from alcoholism are twice as frequent among prisoners as in the general population (26 per 1,000 as against 12 per 1,000), from which it might be inferred that alcoholism is specially associated with the committing of crime. But the incidence of two statistical facts does not, of itself, determine which of the two is antecedent to the other. Does the alcoholist tend to become criminal, or the criminal tend to become alcoholic? Or is the relation of alcoholism to crime due to the fact that both have a common antecedent in defective intelligence? The employment of the correlative tables would seem to point conclusively to the fact that this antecedent is defective intelligence. If a comparison is made of the mean degrees of intelligence of alcoholic and temperate convicts, it appears that there is a pronounced differentiation of intelligence in favour of the latter, and that the mental grade of alcoholic convicts is lower by a half than that of alcoholics in the general population. Apart from offences connected with personal violence, where there is a direct association with inebriety, alcoholism cannot strictly be regarded as a cause of crime, and the general conclusion would seem to be that adverse environment is related much more intimately to the intelligence of convicts than it is to the nature of their crimes, or to the degree of their recidivism. Again, if we examine the relation of occupation to criminality, it appears that crime is related much more closely to the opportunity which a particular occupation offers than to the economic scale of living which it suggests: thus, sailors, miners, and labourers are relatively free from association with the acquisitive offences, for which, from the special facilities afforded by their occupation, clerks, shop-keepers, and persons engaged in commerce are disproportionately selected; and this proclivity to fraud in all its forms is distributed equally through all these classes, the professional and the upper classes providing nearly their proportional share of thieves. Four per cent. of persons in the general population belong to the professional classes: the number of convicted thieves belonging to this class is three per cent. As ninety-five per cent. of all offences are of an acquisitive kind, it is difficult to sustain the point that poverty is a cause of crime.

Dr. Goring is led to the conclusion that there is not any significant relationship between crime and what are popularly believed to be its "causes", and that crime is only to a trifling extent the product of social inequalities or adverse environment, and that there are no physical, mental, or moral characteristics peculiar to the inmates of English Prisons: that one of the principal determinants of crime is "mental defectiveness," and as this is a heritable condition, the genesis of crime must to this extent be influenced by heredity.

Putting aside the part played by the different circumstances affecting criminal man, biologically and otherwise, and without subscribing to the different views and doctrines which, in the opinion of the author, result from the inquiry, the broad and general truth which appears from this mass of figures and calculations is that the "criminal" man is, to a large extent, a "defective" man, either physically or mentally, or, is unable to acquire the complex characters which are essential to the average man and so is prone to follow the line of least resistance. This truth may not be new or startling. It is advanced now by Dr. Goring as a truth which is scientifically demonstrable and so commanding respect and possessing a value which would not belong to statements based on purely empirical observation. This result may be regarded as modest and even disproportionate to the labour involved, but it is worthy of attainment, for much is gained everywhere and especially in the realm of penology, when definite ideas as to the nature of the problems dealt with are substituted for vague notions, or even illusions, as to the nature of the criminal: notions which, in the absence of detached and scientific inquiry, undertaken, as this has been, from a single-minded desire to search out what is true, may have their origin in two quite contrary sources, viz.: an undue pity for the offender or an undue desire to be revenged on him.

Quite apart from general incapacity to live up to the required social level which brings them within the meshes of the criminal law, Dr. Goring even suggests that the physical aptitude of evading the police may affect statistics, and the fact is that the weaker and not the stronger man is "run in," although the "criminal diathesis" may be equally strong in each. In any case his conclusion on this point is very emphatic, viz.: that English criminals are selected by their physical condition, and that the one significant physical association with criminality is a generally defective physique; and that the one vital mental constitutional factor in the etiology of crime is defective intelligence.

This general theory of defectiveness as a general attribute of criminality may be regarded by some as confirmed by the fact that persons convicted of crime are mainly drawn from the lowest social scale; and it is plausible to infer that physical and mental inferiority is allied to a low economic scale of living. This theory, however, must not be pressed so far as to affect the liability to punishment of the offender for his act. Penal law is, through its prohibitions, the expression of the social standard of life in the country. Where that standard is high, there must be a residuum of individuals whose mental and physical state does not enable them to live up to that standard. They fall below it through constitutional incapacity, which manifests itself in weakness of will and power of resistance. This inquiry goes to show that it may be predicated that with regard to the great mass of offenders coming within the meshes of the criminal law, this defectiveness, in its economic sense, is a predisposing cause, and has no necessary relation to definite physical or mental disease. It is a relative term only, relative to a high standard of social requirement to maintain which the law exists. Penal law, wisely and humanely administered, as in a highly civilized State, should apply its sanctions only with regard to the varying characters and capacities of those who come before the Courts. In other words, punishment must be individualized. The tendency towards the individualization of punishment is making marked progress in all the countries of the world, and nowhere more than in this country. In addition to the absolute discretion vested in the Courts and Tribunals, there is a careful classification for purposes of prison treatment, the object of which is to adapt, as far as practicable, the nature of the punishment to the character and antecedents of the offender. Although, therefore, the fact brought out by the inquiry that, on the average, the English prisoner is defective in physique and mental capacity, would seem to call in question the whole responsibility of any person guilty of an anti-social act, yet, if fully and properly understood, it does not mean more than that in a perfect world where the faculties of each would be fully and highly developed, the problem of punishment would not exist; and it would be a cause of rejoicing if the crime of the country could be demonstrated by statistical methods to be the result, not of a general perversity pervading all classes, but a tendency only on the part of persons living on a low economic scale to fail, on account of physical or mental defectiveness, to conform to the restraints of the criminal law. I regard this as a fair and reasonable explanation of crime generally in this country. It is, at least, an explanation which must fortify and stimulate all those who desire that there shall be fewer persons suffering from those incapacities which predispose to crime, or that, where incapacity is obvious and can be defined, special steps shall be taken not to expose such a person without care or oversight to the conditions of free life, which are likely to be not only ruinous to himself, but dangerous to the community.

It is satisfactory to note that incidentally to its general purpose, the inquiry (1) confirms the idea to which practical effect has been given in recent years by the institution of the Borstal system that the effective way of dealing with crime is to attack those between the ages of 16 and 21, which is shown to be the probable age for enlistment in the criminal brigade, (2) it demonstrates by statistical method that imprisonment does not have the adverse physical and mental results which are often alleged, (3) it confirms the opinion held of the necessity for better care being needed for the mental defective, and (4) it shows that it is by consideration of the individual men and women who make up the criminal population that the best solution of the criminal problem is to be found.

Those who agree with the opinion of Dr. Goring that the principal determinant in crime is mental deficiency will be encouraged by the passing of the Mental Deficiency Act, 1913, in the belief that this important measure constitutes a great step forward in the rational and scientific treatment of the criminal problem.

However much opinion may differ as to the exact proportion borne by heredity and environment, respectively, in the formation of the criminal character, whether any or no predominant part can be ascribed, as by Dr. Goring, to mental defectiveness, the fact remains and is known to all those concerned in the administration of prisons and in the actual treatment of crime, that a considerable number of adult persons in custody cannot be regarded as fully capable of dealing with the ordinary affairs of life. The provision, therefore, that has now been made for the detection and diagnosis of all forms of mental defectiveness from childhood and early youth justifies a general hope and belief that if this Act is effectively administered, a great impression will, in course of time, be made on the figures of imprisonment; and this hope can be held not only by those who take an extreme view of the influence of heredity, but by plain men and women, without scientific training or knowledge, who are now profoundly moved at the sight of persons of both sexes and of all ages coming to prison in the expiation of offences which, had they been mentally conscious of their obligations to society, or adaptable to their social environment and standard of living, they never would have committed.

CHAPTER XVII.

A SHORT SKETCH OF THE MOVEMENT OF CRIME— (A) 1872 to 1914: (B) THE WAR, 1914 to 1918.

The object of this Chapter is (a) to compare the number and character of offences according to recent statistics with statistics obtainable at the time of the London Congress, 1872; and (b) to show the great change that has taken place in the volume of crime due to causes consequent upon conditions of War.

(A) 1872 to 1914.

1. Serious offences (e.g. murder, wounding, sexual offences, burglary and fraud), tried at Assizes and Quarter Sessions, decreased between 1872 and 1913 by nearly a half, relatively to population, as will be seen from the following Table of the number of offences dealt with by the Courts for quinquennial periods 1873 to 1913:—

Period Number proceeded against Ratio per 100,000 of the population

1873-77 15,298 63·62

1883-87 13,908 51·09

1893-97 11,632 38·20

1903-07 12,344 36·32

1908-12 13,558 37·88

1913 12,511 33·89

2. Less serious offences, which, though triable by Superior Courts, can be dealt with summarily, i.e., principally acts of petty larceny, have increased during the same period, though relatively to population there has been a decrease, as the following Table shows; but it must be remembered that a large proportion of these offences are those committed by children or 'young persons,' coming within the provisions of the Children Act, 1908. Nearly 40 per cent., according to latest figures, belong to this category, and over 60 per cent. of charges were either dismissed or dealt with otherwise than by conviction:—

Period Number proceeded against Ratio per 100,000 of the population

1873-77 37,245 154·90

1883-87 43,936 161·41

1893-97 41,542 136·42

1903-07 47,721 140·40

1908-12 52,743 147·36

1913 50,758 137·48

3. There is a third category of offences, which, though only triable in Summary Courts, are 'criminal' in character, e.g., assaults, damage, &c. As will be seen from the following Table, there has been, generally speaking, a fall since 1872 of considerably more than a half, the number of offences per 100,000 of population having decreased for the period 1873 to 1913 from 567 to 192.

Offence.Quinquennial averages.Year1913

1873-77 1883-87 1893-97 1903-07 1908-12

Assaults, Malicious Damage, Unlawful Possession &c.136,390 116,836 108,298 85,193 75,212 71,124

Ratio per 100,000 of population 567·22 429·22 355·64 250·65 210·14 192·65

These three categories include all offences which are strictly 'criminal' in character. The great bulk of offences, which may involve commitment to Prison, are not strictly 'criminal.' The principal offences in this category are Drunkenness, Offences against Police Regulations, Bye-laws, Highways Acts and Education Acts. The following Table shows that the actual number of these offences rose continuously from 1873 to 1907. Between the latter date and 1913 there was a fall in the actual numbers, and relatively to population, the figure for 1913 (1649·99) showing a decrease of no less than 157·51 per 100,000 of the population, as compared with 1873-7:—

Offence.Quinquennial averages.Year1913

1873-77 1883-87 1893-97 1903-07 1908-12

Drunkenness 195,682 180,462 179,496 219,675 188,813 204,038

Education Acts, offences against 18,320 80,566 64,924 56,117 40,763 44,030

Highway Acts " " 16,743 18,847 30,677 47,313 62,405 76,011

Police Regulations, Bye-laws, breach of 59,393 62,028 88,848 131,600 100,842 106,509

Vagrancy 15,193 26,694 25,228 34,857 41,267 27,523

Total non-criminal offences 434,620 496,341 534,844 630,474 578,486 609,166

Ratio per 100,000 of population 1807·50 1823·39 1756·38 1854·94 1616·25 1649·99

The following Table is interesting in showing the committals to prison for the last three decades, commencing in 1881—the earliest date from which the comparison is possible. It will be observed that the Prison population in 1883 stood as high as 622 per 100,000 of the population of the country, and that for the year ended 31st March, 1914 it had fallen to the lowest then recorded, viz:—369. The great decrease that has taken place since 1914, as will be shown subsequently, reduced the ratio to 70 per 100,000 of the population:—

Year ended 31st March. Convicted of Indictable Offences tried at Assizes and Sessions. Convicted of Offences tried summarily. Total. Committals on Conviction. Per 100,000 of population of the Country.

Indictable.Non-indictable.

1881 9,528 139,546 149,074 580

1882 10,550 150,888 161,438 621

1883 10,069 153,645 163,714 622

1884 9,780 151,056 160,836 604

1885 9,886 150,096159,982594

1886 9,617 138,015 147,632 542

1887 9,611 144,989 154,600 562

1888 9,024 138,755 147,779531

1889 9,198144,765153,963547

1890 8,180137,088145,268511

18917,843132,789140,632490

18928,302128,958137,260473

18938,542136,996145,538495

18948,590147,876 156,466 526

18957,991139,836147,827492

18967,933146,019153,952506

18977,386140,727148,113482

18988,004145,961153,965 496

18998,315151,744160,059510

19007,194146,266153,460483

19017,091141,509148,600461

19027,764159,232166,996513

19038,271168,286176,557535

19048,64021,730159,518189,888 569

1905 8,761 21,784167,396197,941586

1906 8,972 21,890164,194195,056 571

1907 8,966 20,272149,105178,343 516

1908 9,091 20,886146,625 176,602 505

1909 9,613 21,710153,578 184,901 523

1910 9,500 21,381149,080 179,961 503

1911 9,136 18,758139,801 167,695 465

1912 8,756 17,668132,443 158,867 439

1913 8,781 17,102125,081 150,964 413

1914 7,738 15,598113,088 136,424 369

For many years past, a marked decrease has taken place in the number of persons sentenced to penal servitude. In 1872, there was a convict population of 8,823 males and 1,249 females. This had fallen to 2,568 males and 98 females at the end of 1913-14, representing a decrease of over 70 per cent. As will be seen from the following Table, the average length of sentence has also fallen considerably:—

Sentence Sentences of convicts in custody on the last day of each of the following years—

1872 1891-2; 1902-3 1913-14

Life 152 268 138 128

Above 15 years 101 177 64 38

15 years and over 10 years 308 332 166 73

10 years and over 5 years 7,898 1,498 581 343

5 years and over 3 years 1,613 1,726 1,141 830

3 years 28 819 1,254

Total 10,072 4,029 2,909 2,666

The most gratifying feature shown by the comparison of statistics prior to 1914 is the wonderful decrease in the number of convictions under 21 years of age. These figures can be traced as far back as 1848:—

Year Under 12 12 and Under 16 16 and Under 21

M. F. M. F. M. F.

1848 1,332 215 10,537 1,718 21,324 6,307

1856 1,674 316 10,134 1,857 17,655 7,231

1866 1,485 152 6,614 1,105 18,480 6,147

1873 1,370 112 6,692 1,185 19,992 7,033

1876 940 58 5,292 848 20,356 6,572

1886 229 21 4,016 547 19,813 5,143

1896 59 1 1,336 102 13,433 2,924

1906 3 — 999 30 15,878 2,248

1910 1 — 139 3 12,236 1,186

1911 — — 32 2 10,380 1,163

1912 — — 22 1 8,265 938

1913 — — 27 5 7,789 900

1914 — — 12 — 6,320 858

It will be seen that the category (16-21) has fallen from 13,433 males in 1896 to 6,320 in 1913-14. In the 'seventies it represented 1,306 per 100,000 of the population of the country of that particular age, and since that time the ratio has fallen as shown below:—

1883 1,164 per 100,000 of population 16-21

1893 728 " " "

1903 499 " " "

1914 212 " " "

The following Table is interesting as showing the higher average age of the prison population in 1913-14 as compared with ten years before that date, indicating the fact that the supply of younger recruits is failing:—

Age on conviction, and the Proportion Per Cent. which each Category bears to the Total.

Under 21 21 to 30 30 to 40 40 to 50 50 to 60 60 and over

Males—

1902-3 11·6 26·7 26·9 18·2 8·1 8·2

1913-14 6·1 24·8 28·8 21·3 10·0 9·0

Females—

1902-3 4·8 25·3 35·0 22·6 7·8 4·3

1913-14 2·5 18·4 34·1 29·1 11·3 4·4

As described in a foregoing Chapter, it was about the time of the year first-named in the above Table that the Borstal System was inaugurated, and to its operation (both "Full" and "Modified" Systems) the decline in the rates of the first two columns is doubtless largely due. Shortly before the outbreak of War, the Borstal Association furnished remarkable figures showing that, since the Borstal System was made statutory in 1909, only 392, out of 1,454 lads, or 27 per cent., discharged from Borstal Institutions during that period had been reconvicted. Bearing in mind that all these lads had qualified for Borstal detention as being "of criminal habits or tendencies," it is not surprising to find that the successful efforts of the Association, and of those of Borstal Committees in Local Prisons, are resulting in a decreasing number not only of the age with which they are directly concerned, 16-21, but with the following one (21-30), which has hitherto contributed some 30,000 cases annually.

But while the statistics of 1913 showed a decrease in the volume of serious crime, and a falling-off both in the total number committed to prison for these as well as for less serious offences, (and of those so committed a decreased proportion of young and first offenders) there remained both in Local and Convict Prisons a large body of reconvicted men and women. Thus, in Local Prisons, the percentage of reconviction stood at 61 and 77 for men and women, respectively: while in Convict Prisons, presumably for more serious offences, the percentage was 87 and 67 respectively. But this high figure, taken in conjunction with the falling prison population and the decreased number of young and first offenders shows conclusively that recidivism in both cases is being localized, and that, in course of time, (if even at this late stage the many agencies now operating fail to reform) this large body of men and women will disappear from criminal statistics, leaving a reduced number to take their place. So far as penal servitude prisoners are concerned, their number is relatively small. An inquiry made in 1910 into the careers of ex-convicts showed the rate of reconviction to be about 70 per cent. Since that date the Central Association for the Aid of Discharged Convicts has been established, and they were able to report in 1915 concerning nearly 2,800 men, largely Recidivist convicts, the majority of whom had been at liberty for more than two years, that only 50 per cent. had been reconvicted.

With regard to petty recidivism in Local Prisons, the number, prior to the great reduction since 1914, was largely composed of persons of vagrant habit: many, too, were mentally defective. As an example, it was found at a particular prison that out of 700 vagrants received in a year, 236 served from two to seven imprisonments during the year, and that the total previous convictions of these 236 men amounted to considerably over 2,000: while 92 reported in one year at another prison as being of feeble mind had together amassed a total of 1,270 convictions. Although the total of the latter category has diminished, recent statistics show that the proportion of mentally defective in the prison population remains about the same. So far as these are concerned, it had been hoped that when the Mental Deficiency Act, 1913, was brought fully into operation, the Prisons would have been purged of this class, who are unfitted for prison discipline; but these hopes remain to a large extent unfulfilled, chiefly owing to difficulties arising out of the War in finding accommodation for defective persons. Should legislation proceed on the lines of the recommendations of the Vagrancy Committee of 1906, and should restriction on the sale of intoxicating liquor still be enforced, there is little doubt that the high rate of petty recidivism in Local Prisons will be permanently reduced.

(B) THE RESULT OF THE WAR.

The European War broke out in August, 1914, and it is the purpose of the following pages to show, as far as possible, the effect of the many changes brought about by the social upheaval consequent upon war-time conditions and legislation upon the crime of the country.

As will be seen from the following Table, the daily average Local prison population has fallen enormously since 1913-14—52 per cent. in the case of males and 40 per cent. in the case of females. But as regards the number of males committed by Ordinary Courts, the fall in the average population is much greater, for included in the daily average population shown below is an average probably not far below 2,000 prisoners committed by Courts Martial, the larger number of whom were cases of men, who, having failed to obtain from local tribunals exemption on the ground of conscientious objection under the Military Service Acts, were ultimately committed to prison for breach of military discipline. Further, there are also included many cases charged under the Defence of the Realm &c. Acts. Excluding all these, the daily average male population in 1918-19 had fallen by over 60 per cent. of the number at which it stood in the year before the War. A fall of over one-half is also shown in the male average population of Convict Prisons:—

Daily Average Population of

Local Prisons Convict Prisons Borstal Institutions

M. F. M. F. M. F.

1913-14 12,116 2,236 2,609 95 841 87

1918-19 5,751 1,322 1,146 83 566 194

This great fall in the prison population is still more strikingly shown in the Table showing the total committals to prison on conviction by Ordinary Courts for the years named:—

Year. Committals to Prison on Conviction. Proportion per 100,000 of the Population

On Indictment Indictable Offences Tried Summarily Non-indictable Offences Total

1913-14 7,738 15,598 113,088 136,424 369

1918-19 3,486 8,568 13,996 26,050 70

Decrease since 1913-14 55% 45% 88% 81% 299

This great fall in the numbers committed must, of course, be attributed to a great extent, to conditions arising out of a state of war: but, at the same time, it must be borne in mind, as shown above, that a decrease in grave, as well as in the less serious, forms of crime, had been proceeding for some years before the war. The general call upon the manhood of the nation for service with the Forces: the endless opportunities for employment for those who, in ordinary times, would probably not be eligible for want of necessary qualifications—to which must be added the intense spirit of patriotism pervading all classes, leading men and women to abstain from evil—have, no doubt, been chiefly responsible for so few persons coming to prison. But the War alone, or the spirit engendered by the War, cannot be said to have been the sole cause of this great fall. In the first year of the War, the Criminal Justice Administration Act, 1914, came into operation, which provided new facilities for the payment of fines; and, whereas before the operation of this Act between 75,000 and 100,000 persons had been committed annually in default, the number so committed in 1918-19 had fallen to about 5,300 only. This low number is probably to be accounted for by the high wages prevalent, thus affording means to pay the fines imposed. As a result of this, the total number of short sentences fell enormously. Before the War, and the passing of the Act of 1914, there had been nearly 100,000 sentences annually to two weeks or less, while in 1918-19, only 4,000 were received for those terms.

As regards the actual offences which have contributed to this decrease during the War,—amongst grave crime, the offences of Burglary and Housebreaking showed the greatest fall, viz:—57 per cent., the numbers having been 1,960 in 1913-14, and 840 in 1918-19. Larcenies, including the less serious cases dealt with summarily, fell from 22,459 in the first-named year to 8,915 in the latter year, or 60 per cent. (A large increase in the case of Bigamy was noted,—the number which had averaged about 80 per annum before the War, had risen to 420 in 1918-19). Cases punishable by fine fell greatly, and amongst these was the offence of Drunkenness: 51,851 persons were received on conviction in 1913-14 and only 1,670 in 1918-19, a fall of 97 per cent., the number for the latter year probably representing largely the cases which were committed without the option of a fine. Assaults also fell from 8,666 in 1913-14 to 1,269 in 1918-19, or 85 per cent., and offences against Police Regulations from 8,661 to 889, or 90 per cent.

A striking feature of statistics during the War has been the decreased proportion of recidivists convicted of serious crime tried on indictment. In 1913, 3,462 persons, or 34 per cent. of the total convicted, had incurred six or more previous convictions: in 1918, this number had fallen to only 786, or 17 per cent. of the whole.

Soon after the outbreak of War, drastic measures were enforced on the sale of intoxicating liquor. On the 31st August, 1914, the Intoxicating Liquor (Temporary Restriction) Act, 1914, was passed, and under its provisions numerous Orders were made by the Licensing Justices, suspending the sale or consumption of liquor on licensed premises or clubs. Similar Orders were also made by Naval and Military Authorities. In June, 1915, the Central Control Board (Liquor Traffic) was constituted under an Order in Council, which established the Defence of the Realm (Liquor Control) Regulations 1915, pursuant to Act of Parliament. Statistics for the offence of Drunkenness showed a remarkable decrease year by year, as will be seen from the following Table:—

Year Convictions for Drunkenness in England & Wales

Males. Females. Total

1913 153,112 35,765 188,877

1914 146,517 37,311 183,828

1915 102,600 33,211 135,811

1916 62,946 21,245 84,191

1917 34,103 12,307 46,410

1918 21,853 7,222 29,075

Decrease per cent since 1913 86 79 85

Another remarkable feature of prison statistics during the War was the practical disappearance of the Vagrant, convicted of Begging and Sleeping-Out. In the years before the War, as many as 27,000 had been committed annually for this offence (see chapter XIII), while in 1918-19 only 1,066 were received, and these were said to have been largely the aged and the mentally or physically weak.

From observation of all the causes leading to the very remarkable decrease in every category of criminal offences during the War, the conclusion to be drawn seems to be that when employment is easy and plentiful, and when, at the same time, there is severe restriction of the opportunities for spending wages in intoxicating drink, there is the probability that the records of crime (and by 'crime' is meant not only grave offences, but the multitude of offences against Police Regulations, Vagrancy, &c.) would be very low in the community. In past years, the effect upon crime of prosperity, leading to good wages and easy employment, seems to have been obscured in criminal statistics owing to the enormous figures of convictions of Drunkenness, which, in some recent years, have exceeded 200,000, and have represented one-third of the whole receptions into prison. The following Table is interesting as showing the comparison of prison statistics during a year (1918-19) of plentiful employment with restrictions on the sale of intoxicating liquor, with a year in which there was acute trade depression:—

1918-19 1908-09

Board of Trade percentage of Unemployment ·08 7·8

Daily Average Local Prison population (excluding Military prisoners) 5,500 16,000

Total receptions on convictions 26,050 184,901

Including

Charges for Drunkenness 1,670 62,822

" Begging and Sleeping-Out 1,066 27,387

" Larceny 8,380 24,060

Total Debtors received 1,830 18,996

Number committed in default of fine 5,264 95,686

The great fall in the prison population made it possible to close temporarily, at various dates, a considerable number of the penal institutions, representing about one-quarter of the total cellular accommodation of the country. These included the large convict prison at Dartmoor, which was utilized as a "Work Centre" for the prisoners known as "Conscientious Objectors," and the Borstal Institution at Feltham.

So far as crime generally in the country is concerned, a comparison with the Tables printed on pages 216-8 shows a further great falling-off, as follows:—

Number tried or proceeded against.

1917 1913 Decrease per cent.

(a) Serious crime tried on indictment 5,586 12,511 55

(b) Less serious, though indictable crime, tried summarily 57,419 50,758 13 (increase)

(c) Non-indictable offences of a criminal nature 52,152 71,124 27

(d) Non-indictable offences of a non-criminal nature 393,606 609,116 35

With regard to category (a), serious offences against the person have fallen since 1913 by 39 per cent; offences against property with violence (burglary, housebreaking, &c.) by 58 per cent; and offences against property without violence (larceny, receiving, &c.) by 60 per cent.

As regards the increase shown under category (b) above, a large proportion of the charges included are for petty larceny by children and "young persons." Deducting these from the total, the offences committed by persons over 16 total to 33,012 and 36,433 for the years 1917 and 1913 respectively, or 9 per cent. decrease.

In category (d) are included 65,386 offences created by war-time legislation, viz: offences against regulations made under the Defence of the Realm Acts, about 50,500; Aliens Restriction Act, 1914, 13,600; and National Registration Act, 1,192. If these be excluded, the decrease shown in the Table above would be about 46 per cent.

Although over two years have elapsed since the cessation of hostilities, during which time several million men have returned to civil life, and although during that time there has been much industrial unrest, and though certain modifications have been allowed on the severe restrictions placed upon the sale of intoxicating liquor, referred to above, the ordinary prison population is still 36 per cent. below that at the time of the outbreak of war, viz:—

Number in Custody on Local Prisons Convict Prisons Preventive Detention Prisons Borstal Institutions

4th Aug. 1914 13,580 2,601 247 925

1st March 1921 8,535 1,305 73 1213

The elimination of many thousands of petty offenders from the prison population, due to the causes enumerated above, has had the effect of reducing enormously the volume of recidivism to be found in Local Prisons at the present time, though the proportion who had been previously convicted remains about the same as formerly. Thus, the total with more than three previous convictions who were committed during the first three months of 1920, as compared with a similar period in 1914, shows a decrease of no less than 73 per cent. in the case of males and 66 per cent. in the case of females. The actual figures are as follows:—

Receptions on conviction during the first three months of

1914. 1920.

M. F. M. F.

Number received

with 1-3 previous convictions 6,533 1,772 2,132 685

" 4-5 " " 1,704 845 397 189

" 6-10 " " 2,490 832 513 226

" 11-20 " " 2,243 816 475 257

" over 20" " 1,866 1,476 453 583

As regards the population in Convict Prisons, the great bulk of whom are classified as Recidivist, only about 700 are so classified at the present time, as compared with 2,000 at the beginning of the present century; while the supply of the Juvenile-Adult sentenced to penal servitude has almost ceased: in 1901 there were 200 lads 16-21 serving sentences of penal servitude—to-day there are 9 only.

An examination of statistics for the years following the conclusion of the Wars of the previous century shows that any increase which then took place was largely attributable to industrial depression, and that, on the revival of trade, they fell to their normal level. If, at the present time, there is a reversion to the former state of things—unrestricted sale of intoxicating liquor, or should recurring cycles of acute trade depression result in wide-spread unemployment and poverty,—it may be expected that the Prisons of the country will once again be occupied with thousands of tramps and vagrants, and petty offenders committed for short periods, and that the provisions of the Criminal Justice Administration Act as to checking committals in default of payment of fine will be largely nullified. If, on the other hand, a social system can be devised and maintained which can facilitate the means of employment, while, at the same time, maintaining sobriety at its present level, there would incidentally be found in such measures the solution of the penal problem.

APPENDIX (A)

BORSTAL INSTITUTIONS.

EXTRACT from the PREVENTION OF CRIME ACT, 1908. (8 Edw. 7, cap. 59).

Part I.

Reformation of Young Offenders.

Power of court to pass sentence of detention in Borstal Institution.

(1) Where a person is convicted on indictment of an offence for which he is liable to be sentenced to penal servitude or imprisonment, and it appears to the court—

(a) that the person is not less than sixteen nor more than twenty-one years of age; and

(b) that, by reason of his criminal habits or tendencies, or association with persons of bad character, it is expedient that he should be subject to detention for such term and under such instruction and discipline as appears most conducive to his reformation and the repression of crime;

it shall be lawful for the court, in lieu of passing a sentence of penal servitude or imprisonment, to pass a sentence of detention under penal discipline in a Borstal Institution for a term of not less than[2] one year nor more than three years:

Provided that, before passing such a sentence, the court shall consider any report or representations which may be made to it by or on behalf of the Prison Commissioners as to the suitability of the case for treatment in a Borstal Institution, and shall be satisfied that the character, state of health, and mental condition of the offender, and the other circumstances of the case, are such that the offender is likely to profit by such instruction and discipline as aforesaid.

(2) The Secretary of State may by order direct that this section shall extend to persons apparently under such age not exceeding the age of twenty-three as may be specified in the order, and upon such an order being made this section shall, whilst the order is in force, have effect as if the specified age were substituted for "twenty-one":

Provided that such an order shall not be made until a draft thereof has lain before each House of Parliament for not less than thirty days during the session of Parliament, and if either House, before the expiration of that period, presents an address to His Majesty against the draft or any part thereof, no further proceedings shall be taken thereon, but without prejudice to the making of any new draft order.

Application to reformatory school offences.

2. Where a youthful offender sentenced to detention in a reformatory school is convicted under any Act before a court of summary jurisdiction of the offence of committing a breach of the rules of the school, or of inciting to such a breach, or of escaping from such a school, and the court might under that Act sentence the offender to imprisonment, the court may, in lieu of sentencing him to imprisonment, sentence him to detention in a Borstal Institution for a term not less than[3] one year nor more than three years, and in such case the sentence shall supersede the sentence of detention in a reformatory school.

Power to transfer from prison to Borstal Institution.

3. The Secretary of State may, if satisfied that a person undergoing penal servitude or imprisoned in consequence of a sentence passed either before or after the passing of this Act, being within the limits of age within which persons may be detained in a Borstal Institution, might with advantage be detained in a Borstal Institution, authorise the Prison Commissioners to transfer him from prison to a Borstal Institution, there to serve the whole or any part of the unexpired residue of his sentence, and whilst detained in, or placed out on licence from, such an institution, this Part of this Act shall apply to him as if he had been originally sentenced to detention in a Borstal Institution.

Establishment of Borstal Institutions.

4.—(1) For the purposes of this Part of this Act the Secretary of State may establish Borstal Institutions, that is to say, places in which young offenders whilst detained may be given such industrial training and other instruction, and be subjected to such disciplinary and moral influences as will conduce to their reformation and the prevention of crime, and for that purpose may, with the approval of the Treasury, authorise the Prison Commissioners either to acquire any land or to erect or acquire any building or to appropriate the whole or any part of any land or building vested in them or under their control, and any expenses incurred under this section shall be paid out of moneys provided by Parliament.

(2) The Secretary of State may make regulations for the rule and management of any Borstal Institution, and the constitution of a visiting committee thereof, and for the classification, treatment, and employment and control of persons sent to it in pursuance of this Part of this Act, and for their temporary detention until arrangements can be made for sending them to the institution, and, subject to any adaptations, alterations, and exceptions made by such regulations, the Prison Acts, 1865 to 1898 (including the penal provisions thereof), and the rules thereunder, shall apply in the case of every such institution as if it were a prison.

Power to release on Licence

5.—(1) Subject to regulations by the Secretary of State, the Prison Commissioners may at any time after the expiration of six months, or, in the case of a female, three months, from the commencement of the term of detention, if satisfied that there is a reasonable probability that the offender will abstain from crime and lead a useful and industrious life, by licence permit him to be discharged from the Borstal Institution on condition that he be placed under the supervision or authority of any society or person named in the licence who may be willing to take charge of the case.

(2) A licence under this section shall be in force until the term for which the offender was sentenced to detention has expired, unless sooner revoked or forfeited.

(3) Subject to regulations by the Secretary of State, a licence under this section may be revoked at any time by the Prison Commissioners, and where a licence has been revoked the person to whom the licence related shall return to the Borstal Institution, and, if he fails to do so, may be apprehended without warrant and taken to the institution.

(4) If a person absent from a Borstal Institution under such a licence escapes from the supervision of the society or person in whose charge he is placed, or commits any breach of the conditions contained in the licence, he shall be considered thereby to have forfeited the licence.

(5) A court of summary jurisdiction for the place where the Borstal Institution from which a person has been placed out on licence is situate or where such a person is found may, on information on oath that the licence has been forfeited under this section, issue a warrant for his apprehension, and he shall, on apprehension, be brought before a court of summary jurisdiction, which, if satisfied that the licence has been forfeited, may order him to be remitted to the Borstal Institution, and may commit him to any prison within the jurisdiction of the court until he can conveniently be removed to the institution.

(6) The time during which a person is absent from a Borstal Institution under such a licence shall be treated as part of the time of his detention in the institution: Provided that where that person has failed to return to the institution on the licence being forfeited or revoked, the time which elapses after his failure so to return shall be excluded in computing the time during which he is to be detained in the institution.

(7) A licence under this section shall be in such form and shall contain such conditions as may be prescribed by regulations made by the Secretary of State.

Supervision after expiration of term of sentence.

6.—(1) Every person sentenced to detention in a Borstal Institution shall, on the expiration of the term of his sentence, remain for a further period of[4]six months under the supervision of the Prison Commissioners.

(2) The Prison Commissioners may grant to any person under their supervision a licence in accordance with the last foregoing section, and may revoke any such licence and recall the person to a Borstal Institution, and any person so recalled may be detained in a Borstal Institution for a period not exceeding[5]three months, and may at any time be again placed out on licence:

Provided that a person shall not be so recalled unless the Prison Commissioners are of opinion that the recall is necessary for his protection, and they shall again place him out on licence as soon as possible[6] and at latest within three months after the recall, and that a person so recalled shall not in any case be detained after the expiration of the said period of six months' supervision.

(3) A licence granted to a person before the expiration of his sentence of detention in a Borstal Institution shall, on his becoming liable to be under supervision in accordance with this section, continue in force after the expiration of that term, and may be revoked in manner provided by the last foregoing section.

(4) The Secretary of State may at any time order that a person under supervision under this section shall cease to be under such supervision.

Transfer of incorrigibles, &c. to prison.

7. Where a person detained in a Borstal Institution is reported to the Secretary of State by the visiting committee of such institution to be incorrigible, or to be exercising a bad influence on the other inmates of the institution, the Secretary of State may commute the unexpired residue of the term of detention to such term of imprisonment, with or without hard labour, as the Secretary of State may determine, but in no case exceeding such unexpired residue.

Treasury contributions towards expenses of societies assisting, &c. persons discharged from Borstal Institutions.

8. Where a society has undertaken the duty of assisting or supervising persons discharged from a Borstal Institution, either absolutely or on licence, there may be paid to the society out of money provided by Parliament towards the expenses of the society incurred in connection with the persons so discharged such sums on such conditions as the Secretary of State, with the approval of the Treasury, may recommend.

Removal from one part of the United Kingdom to another.

9. Where a person has been sentenced to detention in a Borstal Institution in one part of the United Kingdom, the Secretary of State, the Secretary for Scotland or the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, as the case may be, may, as authority under this Act for that part of the United Kingdom, direct that person to be removed to and detained in a Borstal Institution in another part of the United Kingdom, with the consent of the authority under this Act for that other part.

EXTRACT FROM THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE ADMINISTRATION ACT, 1914 (4 & 5 Geo. 5, cap. 58).

Committals to Borstal Institutions.

Power to send youthful delinquents to Borstal institutions

10.—(1) Where a person is summarily convicted of any offence for which the court has power to impose a sentence of imprisonment for one month or upwards without the option of a fine, and—

(a) it appears to the court that the offender is not less than sixteen nor more than twenty-one years of age; and

(b) it is proved that the offender has previously been convicted of any offence or, that having been previously discharged on probation, he failed to observe a condition of his recognizance; and

(c) it appears to the court that by reason of the offender's criminal habits or tendencies, or association with persons of bad character, it is expedient that he should be subject to detention for such term and under such instruction and discipline as appears most conducive to his reformation and the repression of crime,

8 Edw. 7, c. 59.

it shall be lawful for the court, in lieu of passing sentence, to commit the offender to prison until the next quarter sessions, and the court of quarter sessions shall inquire into the circumstances of the case, and, if it appears to the court that the offender is of such age as aforesaid and that for any such reason as aforesaid it is expedient that the offender should be subject to such detention as aforesaid, shall pass such sentence of detention in a Borstal institution as is authorised by Part I. of the Prevention of Crime Act, 1908, as amended by this Act; otherwise the court shall deal with the case in any way in which the court of summary jurisdiction might have dealt with it.

(2) A court of summary jurisdiction or court of quarter sessions, before dealing with any case under this section, shall consider any report or representations which may be made to it by or on behalf of the Prison Commissioners as to the suitability of the offender for such detention as aforesaid, and a court of summary jurisdiction shall, where necessary, adjourn the case for the purpose of giving an opportunity for such a report or representations being made.

(3) Where a person is committed to prison under this section, his treatment in prison shall, so far as practicable, be similar to that in Borstal institutions, or he may, if the Secretary of State so directs, be transferred to a Borstal institution.

8 Edw. 7 c. 15.

(4) The Costs in Criminal Cases Act, 1908, shall apply in the case of a person committed to prison by a court of summary jurisdiction under this section as if that person were committed for trial for an indictable offence.

(5) A person sentenced by a court of quarter sessions under this section to detention in a Borstal institution may appeal against the sentence to the Court of Criminal Appeal as if he had been convicted on indictment, and the provisions of the Criminal Appeal Act, 1907, shall apply accordingly.

7 Edw. 7 c. 23.

(6) This section shall come into operation on the first day of September nineteen hundred and fifteen.

Amendment and application of Part I. of the Prevention of Crime Act, 1908.

11.—(1) The term for which a person or youthful offender may be sentenced to detention in a Borstal institution under section one or section two of the Prevention of Crime Act, 1908, shall not be less than two years, and accordingly "two years" shall be substituted for "one year" in subsection (1) of section one and in section two respectively of that Act.

(2) The period for which a person sentenced to detention in a Borstal institution is on the expiration of the term of his sentence to remain under the supervision of the Prison Commissioners shall be one year, and accordingly "one year" shall be substituted for "six months" in subsection (1) of section six of the same Act.

(3) The maximum period for which a person so under the supervision of the Prison Commissioners may on recall to a Borstal institution be detained in such an institution shall be one year, and he may be so detained notwithstanding that the period of supervision has expired, and accordingly "one year" shall be substituted for "three months" in subsection (2) of section six of that Act.

(4) The provisions of Part I. of the Prevention of Crime Act, 1908, as so amended, shall apply to persons sentenced to detention in a Borstal institution under this Act in like manner as they apply to persons sentenced under that Part of that Act.

FOOTNOTES:

BORSTAL INSTITUTIONS

FOR

MALES AND FEMALES.

Regulations made by the Secretary of State under Section 4 (2) of the Prevention of Crime Act, 1908.

Grades.

1. Persons sentenced to detention under Penal discipline in a Borstal Institution, or transferred for the purpose of such detention under Section 3 of the Act, shall be divided into grades, proceeding from the Ordinary to the Special Grade, where promotion is justified by industry and good conduct. Failing that, inmates may be degraded or forfeit any privileges of their Grade, or be reduced to the Penal Class.

2. Promotion will be regulated by the close personal observation of the inmates, attention being specially paid to their general behaviour, their amenability to discipline, and their attention to instruction, both literary and industrial.

3. There will be an ascending scale of privileges enjoyed by inmates as they pass from one Grade to another.

4. Inmates may be placed in the Penal Class by order of the Governor if believed by him to be exercising a bad influence, but no inmate shall be detained in it longer than is necessary in the interests of himself or others. While in the Penal Class, inmates shall be employed in separation at work of a hard and laborious nature and wear a special dress.

5. Promotion in the early stages will be decided by the Governor, on the report of the party officers. Promotion to the Probationary and Special Grades will be by the selection of a Board, to be called the Institution Board (composed of such officers of the Institution as the Prison Commissioners may select), at their monthly meeting, but inmates shall not be promoted unless the Board are satisfied that they deserve it, and they shall not be retained in either Grade, should it be considered necessary to remove them for any good reason.

Inmates may qualify for the Probationary Grade after passing nine months in the lower Grades in the case of males, and twelve months in the case of females.

6. Well-conducted inmates in the Special Grade may be selected by the Governor for work in places of trust and confidence on the farm or elsewhere, may be placed on parole, and may perform their work under such conditions for custody and supervision as he may think fit.

7. Inmates in the Special Grade, in addition to other privileges, will wear, in addition to a distinctive dress, a good conduct badge for every three months passed in the Special Grade. For every such badge they may be allowed a small money payment, which may be devoted to the purchase of approved objects, or sent to their relations.

8. They may also be specially selected for the duties of monitors, and will assist in the administration of the Establishment in various capacities, and will be known as the "Star Special" Grade.

9. The Visiting Committee shall consist of not less than six persons appointed by the Secretary of State. They shall hold office for such period not exceeding three years as may be fixed by the Secretary of State. They may exercise all such powers as are given to the Visiting Committees by the rules for the Government of Local Prisons made under the Prison Act, 1898.

10. As soon as any person is sentenced to detention in a Borstal Institution, arrangements shall be made for his removal thither, and until such arrangements can be made, he will be specially located and segregated in the prison of the district whence he was committed, and be subject to the Prison Rules for offenders sentenced to imprisonment without hard labour: provided that where, owing to lack of accommodation in the Borstal Institutions, immediate arrangements cannot be made for the removal of any person so sentenced to any Borstal Institution, the Prison Commissioners may temporarily locate such person in a prison where training similar to that given in Borstal Institutions is being given to a class of Juvenile-Adult prisoners; and any person so located shall not be allowed to associate with any prisoners except members of the Juvenile-Adult class, and shall be removed to a Borstal Institution as soon as accommodation is available.

11. Gratuities shall be placed to the credit of inmates, and shall be expended in assisting them on discharge.

12. When the Institution Board, having closely examined into the character and conduct of an inmate, and being satisfied, after communication with any society or person interested in the case, that there is a reasonable probability (1) that he will lead a useful and industrious life and abstain from crime, and (2) that employment will be found for him, may at any time, always provided that he has served not less than six months of his sentence, or three months in the case of females, submit the case to the Visiting Committee who, if they think fit, may thereupon recommend to the Prison Commissioners that he be discharged from the Institution on licence.

13. Special provision will be made for the discharge on licence of each inmate by arrangement with benevolent societies or persons who may be willing to assist the case on discharge. Full information will be afforded, and help given, to such societies or persons with the object of securing a continuous and well-directed supervision of the case, both at the moment of discharge and afterwards at the home or place to which the inmate goes. Every encouragement will be given to preliminary visitation in the Institution before discharge, in order that the Society or individual may have a personal knowledge of the inmate, and be in possession of the views of the authorities of the Institution concerning him.

14. If the Prison Commissioners are satisfied that an inmate who has been released on licence has escaped from the supervision of the Society or person under whose care he has been placed, or has been guilty of serious and wilful breach of the conditions of his licence, and that the case cannot be dealt with by admonition and warning, they may revoke the licence in pursuance of Section 5 (3) of the Act.

15. Inmates whose licences have been revoked under Section 5 (3), or forfeited under Section 5 (4) of the Act, may be detained in the Penal Class for such length of time as the Institution Board shall deem it necessary, having regard to all the circumstances of the case or they may be placed in the Ordinary Grade, but shall not be promoted therefrom except with the approval of the Prison Commissioners.

16. The Form of Licence under Section 5 (1) and of Revocation under Section 5 (3) of the Act shall be in the form of the Schedules appended hereto.

SCHEDULE A.

PREVENTION OF CRIME ACT, 1908. No. (8 Edw. 7. Ch. 59.) CRIMINAL JUSTICE ADMINISTRATION ACT, 1914. (4 & 5 Geo. 5, Ch. 58.)

Order for Discharge on Licence from a Borstal Institution.

PRISON COMMISSION, Home Office, Whitehall, ...... day of ...... 19.. The Prison Commissioners, in pursuance of the powers conferred upon them by the Prevention of Crime Act, 1908, do by this Licence permit ......, who at the ...... held at ...... on the ...... of ......, 19.., for the ...... of ...... was convicted of ...... and was sentenced to detention in a Borstal Institution for a term of ...... years, and is now detained in the Institution at ......, to be discharged from the said Institution within thirty days from the date hereof on condition that he places himself under the care, supervision and authority of the Honorary Director of the Borstal Association, until the expiration of his sentence on the ...... of ...... 19.., and during the further period of one year for which he is liable by the said Act to remain under supervision, namely until the ...... day of ...... 19.., unless the Prison Commissioners sooner revoke or alter this Licence. This Licence is granted subject to the conditions endorsed hereon, upon the breach of any of which it will be liable to be revoked or forfeited. Secretary, Prison Commission.

Conditions.

1. The Licensee shall proceed to 15, Buckingham Street, Strand, W.C. and shall not without the consent of the Society or person under whose charge he has been placed, remove from that place or such other place as may be named by the Society or person.

2. He shall obey such instructions as he may receive with regard to punctual and regular attendance at employment or otherwise; he shall report himself periodically, either personally or by letter, if required to do so; he shall not change his address without permission.

3. He shall abstain from any violation of the law, shall not associate with persons of bad character, and shall lead a sober and industrious life to the satisfaction of the Borstal Association.

Attention is directed to the following Provisions of "The Prevention of Crime Act, 1908."

Section 5. (3) A licence under this section may be revoked at any time by the Prison Commissioners, and where a licence has been revoked the person to whom the licence related shall return to the Borstal Institution, and if he fails to do so may be apprehended without warrant and taken to the Institution.

(4) If a person absent from a Borstal Institution under such a licence escapes from the supervision of the Society or person in whose charge he is placed, or commits any breach of the conditions contained in the licence, he shall be considered thereby to have forfeited the licence.

(6) The time during which a person is absent from a Borstal Institution under such a licence shall be treated as part of the time of his detention in the Institution; provided that where that person has failed to return to the Institution on the licence being forfeited or revoked, the time which elapses after his failure so to return shall be excluded in computing the time during which he is to be detained in the Institution.

I hereby acknowledge that I am aware of the above-named conditions, &c., which have been explained to me.

Inmate. Governor.

SCHEDULE B.

PREVENTION OF CRIME ACT, 1908, (8 Edw. 7, Ch. 59.) CRIMINAL JUSTICE ADMINISTRATION ACT, 1914. (4 & 5 Geo. 5, Ch. 58.)

No.

Order of Revocation of Licence for Discharge from Borstal Institution.

Whereas by Licence bearing date the ...... day of ...... 19.., you ..... being a person under sentence of detention in the Borstal Institution, were duly licensed to the care of the Honorary Director of the Borstal Association, of 15, Buckingham Street, Strand, in the County of London, for the period of ...... months, ...... days, from ...... the Prison Commissioners do hereby revoke the said Licence from the date hereof, and require you the said ...... forthwith to return to the Institution at ...... Given under my hand this ...... day of ...... 19.. Secretary.

Note.—A person failing to return to a Borstal Institution on revocation of his Licence may be apprehended without warrant and be taken to the Institution.

(See Section 5 (3) of the Prevention of Crime Act, 1908.)

MEMORANDUM TO GOVERNORS, MALE BORSTAL INSTITUTIONS.

The following arrangements for carrying out the Borstal System have been arrived at after a series of experiments lasting over twelve years. Conferences have been held from time to time among the various Governors and others who have been charged with the carrying of the System into effect and it is believed that these arrangements will fulfil the object at which they aim, viz:—the due instruction and reclamation of Borstal inmates by the means suggested—physical, mental, and moral.

The System aims at an intellectual, physical, and moral improvement and development of each inmate. The first will be secured by a carefully arranged educational system appropriate to the needs of each. The second by a methodical system of labour, which shall be, as far as possible, of an interesting and instructive kind analogous to the day of a free workman in full employment. Drill and Gymnastics for the bodily development of inmates will be a leading feature of the System. Education and labour well organized will thus largely contribute to the "disciplinary and moral influences" referred to in Section 4 of the Act. There will be, in addition, the moral precept and example of the Staff, superior and subordinate. Each and all have a great trust confided to them, which is to raise the young offender, by personal influences and wise exhortation, to a due sense of duties and responsibilities as a law-abiding citizen. The System will rest primarily on good discipline, firmly but kindly administered. In the obedience which follows from this is the beginning of moral improvement This being secured, the System admits a wide latitude for trust and confidence in the later stages, whence will spring the sense of honour and self-respect. When this sentiment has been inculcated, the purpose of the Act may be said to be fulfilled, namely, the reformation of the offender, and, incidentally, the repression of crime, for if the criminal habit be arrested at the beginning, the supply of criminals in the later stages of their career is effectively stopped.

1. The Borstal course in future will be as follows:—

(a) the Ordinary Grade—3 months. (b) the Intermediate Grade—6 months: divided into two Sections A & B. (c) the Probationary Grade, (d) the Special Grade, and (e) the Star Special Grade.

The Penal Grade will be known, in future, as the Penal Class, so as to avoid confusion with other Grades.

2. Inmates in the Ordinary Grade will work in association during the day, but in order to prevent lads in this stage being kept for unduly long periods in separate confinement, arrangements will be made by which inmates shall not retire to their rooms until late in the evening. Education will take place in the evening as furnishing an opportunity for bringing the lads out of their rooms, or, failing this, some other means will be devised. Inmates in this Grade will go through the ordinary course of physical exercises and drill, but will be debarred from the privileges which can be earned later of games, &c. It is obvious that the period passed in the Ordinary Grade will furnish the opportunity for special observation and attribution to later employment, &c.

3. The system of awarding marks to indicate progress through and out of the Grade will be discontinued. The award of gratuity will also be abolished, but a sum of £1 will be paid to the Borstal Association for each inmate released, for the purpose of providing assistance to inmates on discharge. The inmates will be divided into Divisions, and a Tutor will be allocated to each.

He will act, so to speak, as the Headmaster of a Division, and will be responsible for advising the Governor as to the conduct, character, and progress of each individual lad. No lad will be passed out of the Ordinary Grade unless the Governor is satisfied, after consultation with the Tutor, the Principal and the Party Officers, that his conduct and industry are such as to merit advancement. The conduct will be recorded weekly in a Register kept for the purpose, for which the Principal Officer of the Division will be responsible. The Instructor or Party Officer will be supplied with pocket registers in which notes will be made containing anything of importance concerning the character, demeanour, and industry of the lad. These will be collected by the Principal Officer of the Division and brought before the Tutor or head of the Division, and will, as stated, furnish the Governor with the opportunity of making his decision as to the advancement of the lad out of the Ordinary Grade.

4. A lad on passing out of the Ordinary Grade will pass into the Intermediate Grade 'A'. He will then have the privilege of meals in association, and he may associate on Saturday afternoons and Sundays, during which time talking may be allowed, and games, such as chess and draughts, may be played in the corridor. After remaining for three months in this Grade, he will pass into the Intermediate Grade 'B,' where he will be allowed to play games in the open air.

5. After completing three months in Intermediate Grade 'B', inmates should be eligible for the Probationary Grade, but no inmate will be passed into the Probationary Grade except after formal consideration of his case by the Institution Board. No inmate will pass out of the Probationary Grade except on special certificate of the Institution Board that he has profited by his training and can safely be trusted with the liberties and privileges of the Special Grade. There will be no automatic passage to the Special Grade, which will consist only of those who have proved their fitness for consideration and distinction, and in whose case a reasonable hope exists that they may be fit subjects for conditional release. Release will be regulated by Instruction No. 22.

6. The Division under the leadership of the Tutor will be organized in such a way that competition between Sections may stimulate a healthy rivalry and competition, which can be proved in different ways, e.g. by proficiency on parade, or by games in the open air, or by literary or artistic competitions, or any other way that may be devised. The object of this organization is to furnish means for dividing the Establishment into separate sections and promoting healthy rivalry between each, and to establish a close personal relation between the head of the Division and every individual in it.

7. The Penal Class will be separately located and clothed in ordinary prison dress. They will be specially employed on hard manual or bodily labour. Failing such employment on the land in any capacity, they will be employed on the penal forms of labour already in existence, i.e., grain-grinding or stonebreaking.

8. In order to furnish a still further stimulus, a Star Special Grade will be introduced. To this could be admitted lads who had shown special proficiency as Captains of Companies or as Monitors in the Halls. It is proposed to introduce gradually the monitorial system by which lads would be placed in charge of sections both in the Halls and on the Parade Ground, and at games. Specially proficient lads might even supervise parties at labour, &c. Where this character and proficiency is shown, promotion will be made to the Star Special Grade. A distinctive article of dress will be worn, but these details will be worked out by each Governor on the spot, after observing the general operation of the System.

9. Labour parties, and numbers assignable to each, will be strictly and definitely prescribed. Selection will be made for instruction in special trades, and for distribution of the remaining strength, as shall be arranged by the Governor.

It will be clearly understood that there will be no casual distribution of labour in unauthorized parties. Every lad assigned to a definite employment for due observation will be maintained in that employment until specially removed, and will not be employed on any other. For any incidental work which may become necessary, labour and staff will be provided by special arrangement from one of the existing parties. One of the principal complaints against the System has been that the parties and officers have been constantly shifted. This will no longer be the case.

10. The Staff will be divided first of all into a main labour shift, which will be on duty day after day with the inmates during labour hours; and a domestic shift which will do duty from early morning till mid-day, and from mid-day till the closing of the Institution. This morning and evening duty will alternate from day to day. Appointments to fill vacancies in the staff will be to the Domestic shift. While serving in the Domestic shift they will be able to perform the duties allotted to them and acquire a sufficient knowledge of the work and objects of the Institution so as to enable them in time to pass into the main labour shift. The Probationers thus selected for service at Borstal Institutions will not pass through the Prison Officers' Training School. They will be specially instructed as to their duties on joining by the Governor, the Chaplain, the Medical Officer, and the Tutors, but this will take the place of the ordinary training, and they will be liable to report at the end of four months as to their fitness for Borstal work, and again at the end of their twelve months' probation. Great care will be taken not to pass for permanent service in a Borstal Institution any officer who does not show a special zeal, aptitude and interest for the duties entrusted to him.

11. It has been decided that a change shall be made in the title of Borstal Officers. They will be known as Borstal Officers simply. The Governor will be assisted in his daily duties by the Tutors, whose functions are detailed in paragraph 3. These Tutors (who will be members of the Institution Board) will have the rank of Acting Deputy Governor with all the powers of Deputy Governors and will be in charge of the Establishment in the absence of the Governor.

The head of the executive staff will be known as Chief of Staff, the Principal Warders as "Principal Officers" and others as ordinary "Officers", and they will wear Uniform different from that of a Prison Warder. The Chief of Staff will be the medium of communication between the Principal Officers and the Governor. The Chief of Staff will, of course, have no power of adjudication, and every matter reported to him by Principal Officers as heads of sections will be reported to the Governor for such action as the Governor may order.

12. The object of the system is to individualize, and this can only be done with the cordial co-operation of the Tutors, whose time will be devoted to the careful observation of each inmate coming within their command. Subject, of course, to the general authority and supervision of the Chaplain, the Tutors will, in addition to their other duties, be responsible for the organisation of the Education of inmates in the lower and higher stages. Elementary Education will, as a rule, be left in the hands of the Schoolmasters, provided for this purpose, but the Tutors will themselves superintend and conduct the Higher and Technical Education in conformity with the Syllabus laid down.

13. It is not necessary to fill in this sketch of the system to be aimed at in greater detail. The problem of the best system to adopt for the handling, treatment and the reclamation of these lads can only be arrived at after much experience. Governors will have a free hand in experimental work, and will at their respective Institutions work out the system as best they can, with the co-operation of an efficient staff. Details as to hours of duty etc. are matters which can generally be arranged by discussion between the Governor and his staff. Officers will understand that the Borstal System is a very peculiar and difficult problem, and that the administration of it differs essentially from that of ordinary prisons. They will, I feel sure, co-operate heartily with any scheme which the Commissioners may decide is necessary for the full efficiency of the system.

E. RUGGLES-BRISE.

Instructions for carrying out the Regulations under the Prevention of Crime Act, 1908.

MALES.

1. All inmates on reception will be placed in the Ordinary Grade when they will pass by Progressive Stages through a Probationary to a Special Grade.

Ordinary Grade.

2. An inmate will remain in the Ordinary Grade for at least three months, and will be employed on domestic service.

No Association at meals: no conversation.

During this period he will be carefully observed by the whole staff as to his character, mentality, and fitness for a special trade.

One letter on reception. One letter and one visit (30 minutes), or letter in lieu.

Intermediate Grade "A".

3. At least three months: placed in a trade suitable to his individual taste and capacity. Meals in association. No games in evening. Games on Saturday. Two letters and one visit (40 minutes) or letter in lieu.

Intermediate Grade "B".

4. At least three months: Games on Saturday out of doors. Weekly newspapers. Two letters and two visits (40 minutes) or letters in lieu.

Probationary Grade.

5. To be selected by the Institution Board. Meals in association. Games in association in evening inside. Games in playing fields on Saturday afternoon and evening if possible. Daily newspapers. One letter and one visit (40 minutes) or letter in lieu every fortnight.

6. To be selected by the Institution Board. May be employed without supervision in Honour parties. Badge money may be earned by exemplary conduct as follows:—

5/- after 3 months 7/6 " 6 " 10/- " 9 " 10/- every 3 months after.

The Badge money awarded every 3 months may be spent by inmates on approved objects, or sent to their relations. A special room will be provided as a club room for reading, writing, &c. One letter and one visit (50 minutes) or letter in lieu every fortnight.

Star Special Grade.

7. When an inmate in the Special Grade appears, after close observation, to satisfy the Governor by his general demeanour and efficiency, that he can be safely placed in a position of special trust, he may be promoted to what will be known as the Star Special Grade, and wear a distinctive dress.

Such inmates may act as Monitors in different capacities, and may be placed in authority over other inmates on parade or in the Halls or common room, and other situations where they can assist the administration in various capacities.

Penal Class.

8. Where an inmate is believed to be exercising a bad influence, he shall be placed by the Governor in the Penal Class, for such time as the Governor considers necessary in the interest of the inmate himself, or others. While in the Penal Class, an inmate will be employed in separation on hard and laborious work, and will forfeit all privileges. The Governor will record in his journal particulars of every case ordered by him to be placed in the Penal Class, with the reasons for the same, and stating the period during which an inmate is so retained. The inmate will not be restored to the Special Grade without passing through a period of probation in the Ordinary Grade, of such duration as the Governor may determine.

Education.

9. There will be a Board of Education, over which the Chaplain will preside. It will be the authority to consider all questions connected with the education of inmates, and will decide, as the result of examination, into which Grade each inmate shall be placed on reception.

10. The education of inmates will be classified as follows:—

(1) Elementary.—Such inmates as are found on reception not to have profited sufficiently by the teaching received in Public Elementary Schools to pass out of Grade III of the National Code.

(2) Progressive.—Those who can pass out of that Stage, and are fit subjects for higher Grades.

(3) Technical.—Inmates engaged in the technical trade

(1) Elementary Education.—The standard aimed at may be broadly defined as follows, viz.:—"the ability to write a letter such as is needed by a workman applying for employment, and such arithmetic as a workman needs for the ordinary purpose of daily life, including checking his wages." Such a Standard is practically represented by Grade III of the National Code, viz.:—

WRITING:— Simple Spelling rules. Simple Composition. Reconstruction of easy stories. Easy letter writing. Dictation. ARITHMETIC:— 4 simple rules. 4 compound rules (money & easy weights & measures). Introduction to decimal system. Simple fractions.

All inmates not qualified to pass from that Grade shall receive Education during the first three months of their sentence, at such times and in such classes as the Board of Education, created by Instruction 9, shall decide; and such period may be extended in any special case where the Board is of opinion that it would be to the advantage of an inmate that this should be done.

Where an inmate obviously fails to profit by instruction, and there may be reason to think that this may be due to physical or mental causes, he will be specially examined by the Medical Officer, and such steps will be taken on his report as may be deemed suitable to meet the special circumstances of the case.

(2) The Progressive Class will consist of all those inmates who have passed through a period of Elementary instruction. Arrangements will be made by the Board of Education for such inmates to attend Evening School at such times, and for such objects as they may decide.

(3) Technical Classes.—The syllabus will consist of Technical Mathematics and Drawing, and though specially suited to inmates in the Technical Trades, the subjects will form a basis for any lad desirous of improving his knowledge on those lines.

11. In addition to the times set apart for these respective Classes, there will be a Silent Hour for private study, for which a period of absolute silence for one hour daily will be introduced throughout the Institution, during which time all inmates will be engaged in the study of educational or trade matter. It is considered that organized private study is the most satisfactory way of securing that inmates shall not be locked in their rooms until late in the evening.

The objects of the Silent Hour are:—

(1) To provide opportunity (a) for the working of tasks set by the Schoolmasters; (b) for inmates to study their trade text books and prepare notes from the same;

(2) To occupy the minds of the inmates in a profitable manner.

(3) To inculcate habits of studious application in order that the benefits of mental concentration and self-control may become apparent.

12. It will be seen that a great responsibility is incumbent on the Education Board in arranging the details of Education on these lines. It will be the duty of the Governor, acting on the advice of the Chaplain and Tutors, to arrange the details of each Class, consistently with the general needs of the Establishment and the convenience of the staff; and it is only by a real and hearty co-operation between all members of the educational staff that the object of the system can be attained, viz.:—in the first place, to raise the ignorant and illiterate to such a standard of education as will enable them to compete with the ordinary conditions of life on discharge; and, secondly, to furnish opportunity to write intelligent English, and to rise not only to the higher educational grades, but to obtain special technical knowledge in the particular trades to which their faculties are applied.

13. In addition to the ordinary educational curriculum, it will be the duty of the Education Board, subject to the authority of the Governor, to organize a regular system of Lectures or Addresses, on such subjects as, in their opinion, are calculated to increase knowledge, to widen outlook, and to inspire by example, e.g., readings from history or biography. They may, in addition, organize Debating Societies, where inmates can themselves take part in discussion on selected subjects. It is considered that Debating Societies might be a great advantage to the Institution. The advice of the Chaplain Inspector will always be available for the organization of the conduct of such Societies. They may also arrange for the formation of Singing or Choral Classes.

Offences and punishments.

14. No punishment or privation of any kind shall be awarded to an inmate by any officer of the institution except the Governor, or, in his absence, the officer appointed to act for him.

15. An inmate shall be guilty of an offence against the discipline of the institution if he:—

(1) Disobeys any order or rule.

(2) Treats an officer with disrespect.

(3) Is idle or careless at work.

(4) Is irreverent at Divine Service or Prayers.

(5) Uses bad language, or threats.

(6) Is indecent in language, act or gesture.

(7) Strikes or behaves in a provoking way to another inmate.

(8) Makes a disturbance by singing, whistling or shouting.

(9) Does any damage.

(10) Has in his room, or cubicle, or dormitory, or in his pockets or clothes, anything he has not been given leave to have. Nothing found on the works, or on the farm, may be picked up and kept.

(11) Receives anything from any other inmate, or gives anything to any inmate without leave.

(12) Misbehaves himself in any other way.

16. The Governor may examine any person touching any alleged offence against the discipline of the institution, and determine thereupon and punish the offence.

17. In addition to the power vested in the Governor for ordering an inmate to be placed in the Penal Class (Instruction 8), the above offences may be punished by him in the following way:—

(1) In the deprivation of any privileges; or

(2) In the manner prescribed by Prison Rules.

18. If an inmate is charged with any serious or repeated offence for which the punishment the Governor is authorized to inflict is deemed insufficient, he shall be brought before the Visiting Committee, or one of them, who, in addition to any power vested in the Governor, may order, such punishment as is prescribed by Prison Pules; or, in the exercise of their discretion, may report him to the Secretary of State as incorrigible, or exercising a bad influence, with a view to commutation to a sentence of imprisonment under Sec. 7 of the Act of 1908.

19. While under No. 2 diet, the inmate will be employed in separation on outdoor work, to be tasked with due regard to the dietary scale.

20. If any inmate is charged with:—

(1) Mutiny or incitement to mutiny,

(2) Gross personal violence to any officer or servant of the Institution,

the Visiting Committee have the power within the provisions of the Prison Act, 1898, to order corporal punishment in addition to, or in lieu of, their other powers of punishment.

21. Dietary punishment shall not be inflicted on any inmate, nor shall he be placed in close or separate confinement, nor shall corporal punishment be inflicted, unless the Medical Officer has certified that the inmate is in a fit condition of health to undergo the punishment.

Release on licence.

22. Although in the ordinary course the Institution Board will not bring forward for licence any inmate who has not attained the Special Grade, yet cases will occur from time to time in which the Institution Board, in the exercise of their discretion, may think an earlier licence to be desirable. Such cases the Board may, and should, recommend for licence at any time when they think it in the best interests of the inmate to do so.

23. The essence of the Borstal System is that conditional licence can be granted when there is a reasonable probability that the offender will, if licensed, abstain from crime; and although in most cases it is likely that the test of promotion to the Special Grade will be the best index of such probability, yet the Institution Board will bear in mind the provisions of Section 5, Subsection (1) of the Prevention of Crime Act, 1908, and can and will bring forward for licence any inmate as soon as he appears to them to satisfy the conditions of that Subsection.

Application of Standing Orders for Local Prisons.

24. Officers and Inmates of Borstal Institutions shall be subject to the Standing Orders for Local Prisons, except in so far as they are inconsistent with the Regulations and Instructions made under the Prevention of Crime Act, 1908.

TIME TABLE FOR MALES.

5.40 a.m. Inmates rise.

6.15 " Drill.

6.45 " Inmates breakfast.

7.30 " Chapel.

8.0 " Labour.

12 noon Inmates dinner.

1.0 p.m. Labour.

5.0 " Inmates tea.

5.40 " Evening School, Silent hour and recreation.

8.30 " Inmates locked up.

MEMORANDUM TO THE GOVERNOR, AYLESBURY BORSTAL INSTITUTION FOR FEMALES.

The object of the Borstal System being, as defined in Section 1(b) of the Act of 1908, that those subject to it shall receive such instruction and discipline as appears most conducive to their reformation and to the repression of crime, the following methods will be adopted for giving effect to it. Under Section 5(1) of the Act, a female offender may be discharged by licence from a Borstal Institution after three months from the commencement of the term of detention, if the Commissioners are satisfied that there is a reasonable probability that she will abstain from crime, and lead a useful and industrious life.

The object of the following Instructions is to provide a test by which the Authorities on the spot, i.e., the Governor and the Institution Board, will be able to judge when an inmate can be licensed. It was the intention of Parliament, in prescribing the minimum period of three months in the case of females, to secure that they should be given a chance of liberty after completing that period, subject to the reasonable probability of their abstaining from crime, but experience has shown that in the great majority of cases a much longer period of detention is necessary to enable any real reformatory influence to be exercised. The responsibility in this matter rests primarily on the Institution Board, and it is only by the closest personal observation of each case from the commencement of the sentence that a true and just opinion may be formed as to the date on which a licence may be properly and wisely granted. The key-note of the system is, therefore, the "individualization" of the inmate. Inmates will be interviewed regularly—those doing well encouraged; those doing badly cautioned, and made clearly to understand that they will not be allowed the privilege of the higher Grades until the Institution Board is completely satisfied that they are doing their best in every way to profit by the opportunities afforded. Each and all members of the staff have a great trust confided to them, which is to raise the young criminal, by personal influences and wise exhortation, to a due sense of duties and responsibilities as a law-abiding citizen. The system will rest primarily on good discipline, firmly but kindly administered. In the obedience which follows from this is the beginning of moral improvement. This being secured, the System admits a wide latitude for trust and confidence in the later stages, whence will spring the sense of honour and self-respect. When this sentiment has been inculcated, the purpose of the Act may be said to be fulfilled, namely, the reformation of the offender, and, incidentally, the repression of crime, for if the criminal habit be arrested at the beginning, the supply of criminals in the later stages of their career is effectively stopped.

E. RUGGLES-BRISE.

Instructions for carrying out the Regulations under the Prevention of Crime Act, 1908.

FEMALES.

1. All inmates on reception will be placed in the Ordinary Grade when they will pass by Progressive Stages through a Probationary to a Special Grade.

Ordinary Grade.

2. Inmates in the Ordinary Grade will be specially located. They will remain in the Grade for three months at least, being promoted to the Intermediate Grade at the Governor's discretion. Inmates will undergo physical training, and, subject to educational requirements, will work in association during morning and afternoon, and in their rooms, in the evening.

When, in the opinion of the Governor, it is desirable, in the interests of health, that an inmate on reception shall be employed for part of the day on outdoor work on farm or garden, this may be arranged for selected cases, in lieu of morning or afternoon labour.

The Ordinary Grade will be the deterrent or punitive period of detention, during which conversation except such as is incidental to their daily routine duties, will not be allowed.

Intermediate Grade.

3. Inmates will remain in the Grade for three months at least, being promoted to the Probationary Grade at the discretion of the Institution Board. They will be allowed an extra letter on promotion, associated exercise and games at week-ends.

Probationary Grade.

4. Inmates will remain in the Grade for six months at least. They will be specially located and will be allowed meals in association and conversational exercise and organised games at week-ends. When labour ceases in the afternoon, they will be permitted to change clothes for tea. Subject to educational requirements, classes, lectures, labour, &c., they will be free for recreation either in a room with others, or for the purpose of private work, study, &c., in their own rooms. The rooms will be locked only at night. Arrangements will be made, if practicable, to place inmates under Group Matrons in convenient groups. Marching in parties to labour will cease. Each inmate will find her own way to work, &c. at the appointed time. The Group Matron will be responsible for seeing that the strictest punctuality is observed, and that at a given signal every inmate is in her proper place.