Branch Lines
| Date | 01 October 1953 |
| DOI | 10.1177/026455055300602311 |
| Published date | 01 October 1953 |
| Subject Matter | Article |
BRANCH
LINES
ESSEX
BRANCH
•
On
Saturday,
June
11th, 1953,
an
Open
Meeting
was
held
by
the
Essex
Branch
at
Southend-on-Sea,
where
a
large
gathering
of
magistrates,
probation
officers
and
other
social
workers
of
the
county,
was
addressed
by Mr. F. J.
MacRae,
Principal
Probation
Inspector,
on
"Modern
Trends
in
the
Treatment
of
Crime."
Followlng
a. civic
welcome by
the
Mayor
of
Southend.
Alderman
E. N. Selby,
J.P.,
.the
chair
was
taken
by
the
chairman
of
the
South-
end
Probation
Committee,
Mr. W. A.
Waller,
J.P.,
who
introduced
the
speaker.
Mr.
MacRae
stated
that
the
modern
trend
in
treatment
was
international
rather
than
national,
as
was
indicated
by
the
recent
conferences
held
In
Brussels
and
London,
which
were
attended
by
representatives
of
most
European
countries.
The
Brussels
Conference
was
divided
into
three
sections,
scientific,
[udicial
and
admini-
strative.
All
three
sections
recognised
that
the
fullest
possible
enquiries
regarding
an
offender
were
necessary
to a
court,
and
in
the
case
of
the
more
serious
offences a
complete
examination
of
the
offender
was
beneficial
to
·the
court;
this
examination
should
be
conducted
by
the
complete
sociological
and
medical
team.
It
was
generally
agreed
that
probation
presented
the
finest
form
of
treat-
ment
and
was
most
likely to
provide
the
offender
with
a
conscience
and
to
establish
self-respect.
The
London
seminar
on
probation
followed
with
the
resolution
that
pre-probation
enquiries
were
necessary
to
prevent
the
abuse
of
probation
and
the
wasting
of
the
probation
officer's
time.
It
was
felt
that
full
training
covering
the
whole field of
social
work
was
of
the
utmost
importance
lor
probation
officers.
Treatment
by
proba-
tion
methods
by ofllcers
to-day'
must
be skilled
and
scientific
and
not
the
aged
method
of goodwill
and
personal
intuition,
Mr.
MacRae
told
us of
the
success
rates
of
the
open
prisons
which
are
most
promising
but
underlined
the
very
difficult
problems
of
after-care;
in
particular,
the
need
to
fit
the
orrender
into
his
community
following
an
absence
and
the
hard
work
involved
in
preventing
the
drift
back
to
old
haunts
and
companions.
It
was
a
most
'comprehensive
address
which
left
the
audience
with
much
to
think
about.
The
vote
of
thanks
was
proposed
by Mr.
H. Homf'ray Cooper,
Clerk
of
the
Justices,
Southend-
on-Sea. D.A.O.
EAST MIDLANDS BRANCH
The
first
of
the
Autumn
series
of
Week-end
Confer-
ences
which
are
a
feature
of N.A.P.O.
activity,
was
'that
of
the
East
Midlands
Branch.
which
was
held
in
the
delightful
surroundings
and
comfortable
conditions
of
the
Lincoln
Training
College,
from
Friday
evening,
Sep-
tember
4th,
until
Sul1lday
afternoon,
September
6th.
The
80
resident
visitors,
and
many
ot
the
70
daily
visitors,
were
welcomed
at
the
outset
by
the
Mayor
of
Lincoln,
who
was
accompanied
by
the
Mayoress
and
by
the
Sherif!
and
his
wife.
The
Sheriff
then
took
the
chalr
for
the
opening
lecture,
a
brilliant
and
amusing
effort
by Mr. R.
Duncan
Fairn,
Prison
Commissioner.
The
prison
atmosphere
continued
to be
with
the
Conference
on
Saturday
morning
when
the
Medical
Officer of
Lincoln
Prison,
Dr.
Prewer,
gave
a
most
interesting
address
in
which
he
emphasised
the
value
of
remanding
for
enquiry
all
cases
where
there
is
any
doubt
about
mental
condi-
tion,
and
he
also
paid
a
tribute
to
the
value
of good
probation
officers'
reports-and
most
of
them,
he
said,
were
extremely
good. Mr.
Basil
Henriques
gave
a
moving
and
thought-provoking
talk
about
the
juvenile
court
and
the
treatment
of
young
offenders,
and
later
in
the
day
Miss
Margery
Fry,
belying
her
many
years,
spoke
In
scintillating
manner
about
the
developments
In
the
treatment
of
oiIenders
in
general.
She
challenged
the
gathering
to
some
extent
by
suggesting
that
non-punish-
able
offences of
bad
manners
and
selfishness
were
oIten
as
seriously
anti-social
as
the
crimes
listed
in
the
calendar.
The
Conference
adjourned
after
tea
on
Saturday
for
a
conducted
tour
of
Lincoln
Cathedral,
led by
the
Sub-
Dean,
and
full of
Interest,
not.
the
least
of
the
features
of
the
visit
being
a
sight
of
Magna
Carta.
After
that,
dinner
and
a
party
with
some
extraordinary
games
and
dancing
and
a
little
singing.
Sunday
started
with
a
short
service,
and
this
was
followed by
an
address
by Miss
Mary
Stuart,
Children's
Officer
for
Leicester
City,
who
showed
that
she
had
Ideas
of
her
own
and
was
in no
way
a
conventional
official;
and
she
staked
a
claim
for
Institutional
care
against
that
'of
doubtful
and
changing
foster-parents
for
deprived
children.
The
Conference
closed
with
an
address
about
matrimonial
work
in
the
courts,
with
some
dissertations
on
marriage
in
general,
by
Frank
Dawtry
who,
with
the
national
chairman,
Mr. S. R.
Eshelby,
was
present
throughout
the
week-end.
The
Conference
was
highly
successful
in
every
way
and
the
support
and
interest
of
many
magistrates
was
a
welcome
feature.
It
all
retlected
great
credit
on
the
Committee
of
the
East
Midlands
Branch
and
particularly
on
the
Secretary,
Mr
..
J.
Arundel
Simpson,
who
was
warmly
thanked
at
the
close of
the
proceedings.
MIDDLESEX BRANCH
We
must
again
congratulate
the
Middlesex
Branch
on
their
initiative
and
enterprise.
Following
upon
the
sale
of
Christmas
cards,
a
jumble
sale
and
the
production
of
their
own
newsheet,
"Midd~ex
Napost,"
they
are
now
launching
on
an
tnterestinl
d
varied
assortment
of
sOSlf'la1
events
for
the
Autum
-these
to
include
dances,
social
evenings
and
visits to
places
of
interest.
Magis-
trates,
clerks,
clerical
assistants
and
other
friends,
are
all
to
be
made
welcome,
and
this
idea
is
to
be
recommended
to
other
Branches
not
already
including
similar
activities
in
their
programmes.
VISIT
OF GERMAN PROBATION OFFICERS
A.
group
of 18
German
probation
officers
made
an
official visit to
London
from
August
10th to 20th, 1953,
and
attended
a
series
of
lectures
'arranged
by
the
Home
OI1ice, followed by
three
days
spent
In
various
probation
offices
and
with
officers,
seeing
the
daily
work
of
the
Service
in
the
Home
Counties.
On
August
13th, N.A.P.O.
entertained
them
to
tea
at
Rainer
House, by
arrangement
with
Mr.
Minn,
Probation
Divlsion,
and
the
Police
Court
Mission.
Fourteen
members
of N.A.P.O.,
plus
the
secretary,
attended.
The
visitors
were
addressed
by Mr.
Eshelby,
who
said
the
Association
was
glad
to
know
of
the
develop-
ment
of
their
work
and
also offered
them
any
help
the
Association
could
give.
Herr
A.
Wahl,
the
leader
of
the
party,
from
the
Western
German
Government
at
BOl1Jl.
replied,
I
275]
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