H.—2o.

Escapes. Eleven prisoners and 4 Borstal detainees escaped during the year, and all were recaptured with the exception of one, whose body was latei found in the Waipa River. This number of escapes is not higher than the average. It is recognized that in a system of reformative detention, particularly at the camps, greater opportunities offer for escaping than if prisoners were held in closer confinement; but it is found that there is greater response to reclamative influences and a more definite building-up of self-respect under a system that allows for a measure of trust being reposed in the inmates. Health oe Prisoners. There has been an absence of any outbreak of sickness of an epidemic nature. The general health of the prisoners during the year has been particularly good, the daily average on the sick-list (20-07) being the lowest recorded for many years past. There were a considerable number of cases of prisoners suffering from venereal on admission. These are required to undergo a special course of treatment, and our legislation provides that, notwithstanding the term of sentence having expired, a person suffering from a communicable disease shall not be released until certified as non-infective. A large number of prisoners are received into prison in a debilitated condition of health, sometimes due to their mode of life, and sometimes, in the case of accidental criminals as distinct from professional criminals, due to anxiety about their offences. Almost invariably a noticeable improvement in physical health follows their incarceration, due largely to the regularized routine and the simple wholesome diet. In recent years more attention has been given to the provision of fresh vegetables in the prison dietarv, and latterly arrangements have been made to issue a quarter of a pint of milk daily to each prisoner in addition to the scale allowed hitherto with the tea ration. There were 2 deaths in Borstal, 1 from natural causes and 1 from drowning (an escapee) ; and 7 deaths occurred in prison, 6 from natural causes and 1 suicide whilst on remand at the Wellington Prison. Twenty inmates were transferred to mental hospitals under sections 34, 37, and 38 of the Mental Defectives "Act, 1911, either upon certification or for observation as to mental condition before being finally dealt with by the Courts. the following extract from the the report of the Medical Officer—a mental specialist—attached to the New Plymouth Prison is of interest: — "I cannot help remarking on the tremendous improvement in the general spirit of the prisoners, which I attribute entirely to the physical exercises they voluntarily take. It is from the mental rather than the physical aspect that I view the improvement." At the New Plymouth Prison homo-sexual offenders are segregated, and the majority of them are either emotionally unstable or suffering from some degree of mental abnormality. Sexual Offences. In recent years, probably due to the greater interest women's organizations are taking in social affairs and also to the publicity given to this class of offence, there has been a growing apprehension that crimes of a sexual nature, particularly offences against little children, are on the increase, and frequent representations have been made to the Department to the effect that the present methods of dealing with the offenders do not appear to be sufficiently deterrent or protective. Longer sentences are urged, and surgical treatment in addition to segregation is advocated. So that the extent of the problem may be better appreciated, the following table, showing the number of persons sentenced for sexual offences during the past ten years in the Supreme Court and in the Magistrates' Courts, is set out hereunder. Those dealt with summarily in the Magistrates' Courts are principally confined to young persons, the majority of whom are dealt with by committal to the caie of the Child Welfare Department.

Supreme Court—Persons sentenced for Sexual Offences.

7

1934. 1933. j 1932. 1931. 1930. 1929. ; 1928. 1927. 1926. i 1925. I II' , —— ! Unnatural offence and attempts 55 3 5338689 Incest .. .... 10 5 8 .. 4 4 3 4 5 6 Rape .. .. 2 2 2 6 3 5 4 5 5 Attempted rape . . .. 3 2 . . 5 1 5 4 8 2 5 Unlawful carnal knowledge .. 30 18 36 20 18 23 17 22 27 34 Attempted unlawful carnal 8 8 1 1 4 1 4 4 7 1 knowledge Indecent assault .. .. 12 19 24 33 29 34 20 22 28 27 Indecent assault on a male .. 18 13 10 12 17 9 15 10 6 12 Supieme Court totals 88 70 84 78 82 82 76 80 88 99 Sexual offences summarily 5] 41 41 41 30 29 28 21 7 7 dealt with in Magistrates' Courts