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1948 NEW ZEALAND

OFFENDERS PROBATION UNDER OFFENDERS PROBATION ACT, 1920, AND CRIMES AMENDMENT ACT, 1910 (REPORT ON OPERATION OF), FOR THE YEAR 1947

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

The Hon. the Minister of Justice to His Excellency the Governor-General. Sir,- — Wellington, 29th June, 1948. I have the honour to submit to Your Excellency the report of the Chief Probation Officer on the operations of the Offenders Probation Act for the year ended 31st December, 1947. I have, &c., H. Gr. R. Mason, Minister of Justice.

The Chief Probation Officer to the Hon. the Minister of Justice. Sir, — I have the honour to present the annual report on the operation of the Offenders Probation Act, 1920, and the parole system under the Crimes Amendment Act, 1910, and the Prevention of Crime Act, 1924, for the year ended 31st December, 1947. This report covers the sixty-second year since probation was first used in the Dominion and the twenty-eighth since the scope of the Act was enlarged to cover other than first offenders. An epitome of the reports furnished by the principal district Probation Officers is appended. These reports show that in the great majority of cases the probationers have responded satisfactorily, and have appreciated the more generous impulses of the law which enables them to rehabilitate themselves in the community and without the severance of domestic ties. The statistics appended hereto show that during the year 972 persons were admitted to probation by the Courts, and in 69 other cases the offenders were convicted and ordered to come up for sentence when called upon, thereby coming under the supervision of a Probation Officer. The number of direct admissions to probation is the highest ever recorded and shows the continued confidence of the Courts in the probation system as a reformative aid. It will be seen from the table showing the ages of offenders that of the 972 cases in which probation was extended, 291 had not attained their twentieth birthday. Under the Child Welfare Act young persons who have not attained their seventeenth