_$,— 20

4

Of the nine women sentenced a few words may be said here, in order that, being relatively so small a number, they may not unnecessarily complicate the calculations and deductions to follow. One was between 19 and 20, had two previous convictions and an alias; in the agerange 21 to 24 three were included, and in none of these was a previous conviction recorded; two came within the age-range 25 to 29, one with a previous conviction and an alias; one with an alias and nine previous convictions was in the age-range 35 to 39; and two, one with thirty previous convictions and the other with an alias, came within the age-range 45 to 49. The average height of these prisoners was 5 ft. 3 in. Among the male prisoners were eleven of the Native race, either of the full or half blood, and as they are included hereunder and it has been the custom to exclude them in statistics, especially where ratios to the general population are calculated, a brief summary now will allow of their being separated should the necessity arise. The youngest was 16; there were two aged 17 years, one with a previous conviction; one 18, with" a previous conviction; and one aged 20. The average height of these youths was 5 ft. 7 in. Of the remaining six, in the age-range 21 to 24 were three, against one of whom two previous convictions were recorded; in the age-range 25 to 29 were two, one with an alias and eight previous convictions, and the other with five convictions had served a long sentence; the eleventh was 32 years of age and had three previous convictions. The average height of the Maori prisoners 21 years of age and over was 5 ft. 7| in. An analysis possessing some interest will be found in the following table :- —

Showing Ages and Previous Convictions of Distinct Male Persons sentenced in 1911 to Reformative Treatment.

In this table the same prisoner does not figure more than once; this precaution was necessary because for additional offences two of the prisoners have received additional hard-labour and reformative sentences, one of them being a youth of 16 with a very sinister record. With the ages ranging from 15 to 65, the number under 25 years of age was 74. Thus, as 73 were over that age, half only were at what is presumed to be the more hopeful period for reform. Even if the juvenile-adult period be extended to all under 30, it will be seen that 44 prisoners are excluded. Though some of the younger prisoners were mentally or morally among the more degraded, this age division is something above a rough-and-ready classification. It will be observed that three-fourths of the prisoners had previous convictions recorded against them, and that of these rather more than a half had served at least one sentence of a year or upwards. To the majority, therefore, imprisonment had ceased to exercise the terrors with which it fills the neophyte in crime. As many as 63 out of 147 had one or more aliases, a clear indication of an entry upon a criminal career, and of these 1 had served a term as an habitual criminal. Of prisoners under 25 years of age, 49 had previous convictions, leaving 25 first offenders. Among the whole juvenile-adult class there were 71 with previous convictions, and 32 first offenders, who for some sufficient reason were not placed under probation under the First Offenders Act. Altogether, 36 only of the 147 persons convicted were first offenders. It is possible that some of them, in the absence of the Crimes Amendment Act, 1910, may have been admitted to probation—some borderland cases—not many; but the fall of 14 granted probation, under the First Offenders' Probation Act is not an unusual fluctuation, and does not encourage this belief. The following have been the numbers under that Act since it came into operation : 1908, 133; 1909, 80; 1910 103; 1911, 94. Among those without previous convictions included in the above table were 2, aged 18 and 19, who had been in Burnham (the total includes 11) and 4 (including 1 of these) were to the police as possessing aliases.

Age: (Yeai ■a). 15 a L6 ,, 18 a 19 a\ » 2 ! a to !4 25 to 29 a! 6 1 1 7 2 31 to 3; 14 ;to 4, )9 1> (to 48 14 1 to 50 to 51 II) 54 „ to >9 to 6S ,4 < to Total >9 All A a 6 17 3 3611 I for ges. )ne previous conviction 6 2 2 3 3 1 1 20 ? wo to five previous convictions 1 — 2 2 8 13 4 1 1 2 1 1 1 47 lix to ten previous convictions 1 - 2| 2 I II., 2 6J 2 111 IT 3 -1 l 1 4 1 -• 1 1314 710 27 )ver ten previous convictions 1 3 2 1 1 2 1 1 l| 17 ?otal previous convictions at each age 1 6 19! 7, 1 2 ! 2 _J_ 73 38 1 ! 111 1 4 4 I 7 8 5 8 2 1 2 1 l i lo previou.3 convictions 1 7 [ 4 .. 4 7 26 22 1 I 3 6 .1 3 11 7 8 | 7 6 5 10 37 29 15 2 1 .. 36 .. 147 'otal prisoners at each _age 1 17 13 4 1 {a) No sentence of on. yea. ''s imprisonment and over. (6) One se. tenc, at le. ,st of one yi iar' 's i, ipris. mmei it or o 'er.