Branch Reports
| DOI | 10.1177/026455053100100708 |
| Published date | 01 April 1931 |
| Date | 01 April 1931 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
I07
Branch
Reports.
London
Branch.
Mr.
Alexander
Maxwell,
C.B.,
Chairman
of
the
Prison
Commission,
presided
at
a
meeting
of
the
London
Branch
on
the
ioth
February
when
Lt.-Col.
L.
W.
Johnson,
Governor
of
Wormwood
Scrubbs
Prison,
lectured
on
the
subject
of
&dquo;Prisons
and
Probation.&dquo;
In
opening
the
subject
Lt.-Col.
Johnson
said
he
regarded
Prison
and
Probation
as
two
rather
opposite
things,
and
in his
remarks
he
would
confine
himself
to
the
juvenile
adult
offender
between
16
and
21
years
of
age.
In
probation
the
offender
liable
to
punishment
is
committed
to
the
care
of
a
suitable
person
for
guidance
and
advice.
Unless
the
work
of
probation
is
well
done.
it
becomes
rather
a
useless
thing,
too
many
offenders
therefore
should
not
be
committed
to
the
care
of
one
probation
officer.
Good
work
goes
hand
in
hand
with
full
investigation,
and
too
many
cases
committed
to
an
officer
prevent
proper
investigation
being
made.
There
are
two
alternatives
to
probation
for
the
juvenile
adult,
i.e.,
imprisonment,
and
Borstal
detention.
Imprisonment
is
not
to
be
recommended.
Most
youths
have
a
proper
fear of
prison,
but
directly
they
enter
a
prison
that
fear
begins
to
disappear,
and
it’s
deterrent
value
fades.
Moreover,
sentences
of
imprisonment
are
generally
not
long
enough
to
effect
any
practical
result
in
training,
or
in
fact
to
effect
any
good
results
whatever,
for
the
new
arrival
in
prison
is
liable
to
be
contaminated
by
prisoners
of
more
hardened
habits.
The
other
alternative
is
Borstal
detention
which
offers
a
much
better
hope
of
bringing
a
lad
to
a
better
outlook
on
life.
Before
commital
to
Borstal,
lads
are
commonly
remanded
for
observation
and
report,
and
these
reports
are
prepared
by
the
prison
visitors
with
very
great
care.
The
report
embraces
home
investigation
by
the
visitors,
the
Deputy
Governor’s
report,
and
medical
examination.
Last year
740
lads
were
sentenced
and
received
at
Borstal
Institutions
for
detention,
and
in
every one
of
these
cases
the
full
investigation
and
report
was
prepared
for
the
Magistrates.
The
position
at
the
moment
is
that
the
Borstal
Institutions
are
usually
full,
and
lads
sometimes
wait
as
long
as
three
months
at
Wormwood
Scrubs
for
Borstal
accommodation.
A
rough
classification
of
inmates
is
made
by
drafting
lads
to
the
various
Institutions.
For
instance,
lads
of
amenable
type
are
sent
to
Feltham,
while
the &dquo; tough
nuts &dquo;
go
to
Portland.
Upon
arrival
at
the
Institution,
the
lad
is
put
into
one
of
the
various
shops
where
he
is
trained
as
far
as
it
is
possible
to
train
in
two
or
two
and
a
half
years-at
least,
he
does
not
lose
ground,
and
if
he
already
has
a
trade
of
his
own
he
has
time
to
improve
in
it.
The
majority,
however,
are
only
fitted
for
labourers
and
are
put
to
work
with
the
pick
and
shovel.
As
the
lads
improve
and
can
be
trusted
they
may
become
monitors
or
house
captains
and
are
allowed
a
certain
amount
of
control
over
the
other
inmates.
After
some
two
years
in
the
Institution
the
inmate
is
discharged,
but
remains
under
supervision
for
two
years
after
the
expiration
of
the
original
sentence.
In
the
discussion
that
followed,
a
suggestion
was
made
and
adopted
by
the
Chairman,
Mr.
Alexander
Maxwell,
that
probation
officers
of
the
London
Branch
should
be
invited
to
Wormwood
Scrubs
Prison
to
learn
more
of
the
methods
employed
in
the
preparation
of
reports
for
the
Courts.
On
the iotb
March,
Lady
Diana
Worthington,
pre-
sided
at
a
lecture
on
&dquo;The
Contributions
of
Biology
to
present
day
Problems.&dquo;
In
introducing
the
lecturer
Mr.
C.
M.
Hentschel,
M.Sc.,
F.L.S.,
Demonstrator
in
Biology
at
St.
Bartholomews
Hospital,
Lady
Diana
Worthington
said
that
Biology
was
the
science
that
dealt
with
life
or
organised
beings,
while
probation
is
a
new
science
which
had
to
deal
with
unhappily
disord-
ered
individuals.
With
the
aid
of
a
lantern
and
screen,
Mr.
Hentschel
demonstrated
in
a
graphic
manner
the
Mendelian
theory
of
heredity,
and showed
how
living
creatures
existed
within
certain
clearly
defined
scientific
limits.
Before
the
war
the
science
of
Biology
was
treated
only
as
a
pastime
by
students,
but
to-day
Biology
is
one
of
the
most
important
subjects
taught
in
the
schools
as
part
of
a
general
education.
In
the
General
Schools
Examination
five
years
ago
the
number
of
candidates
taking
Biology
was
under
a
dozen,
and
this
year
the
number
was
660.
The
reason
for
this
increase
is
that
the
general
facts
of
life
are
being
much
more
freely
taught
in
,the
schools
than
was
the
case
a
few
years
ago,
for
it
has
been
discovered
that
Biology
can
offer
facts
of
economic
importance
to
the
world.
For
instance,
the
Ministry
of
Agriculture
and
Fisheries
is
now
applying
Biological
principles
to
the
study
of
migration
of
food
fish
and
to
the
production
of
living
organisms
to
attack
insect
pests.
In
dealing
with
the
problems
of
defective
human
types
the
lecturer
said
that
such
questions
as
whether
we
should
sterilize,
were
not
for
the
Biologist.
His
work
was
merely
to
demonstrate
the
facts
of
life,
and
the
application
of
those
scientific
facts
to
social
problems
is
work
for
the
Sociologist.
In
reply
to
a
question
as
to
whether
heredity
influenced
human
behaviour
the
lecturer
said
that
the
bad
example
of
parents
of
inferior
hereditv
must
undoubtedly
affect
the
behaviour
of
their
children.
z
Mr.
S.
G.
Boswell,
Chairman
of
the
London
Branch
N.A.P.O.
proposed
a
hearty
vote
of
thanks
to
the
lecturer.
Midland
Branch.
The
tenth
Annual
Conference
of
the
Midland
Branch
was
held
in
the
Guildhall
at
Nottingham
on
the
26th
February,
Ica3I.
The
proceedings
opened
with
a
civic
reception
by
the
Lord
Mayor
of
Nottingham,
Alderman
Arthur
Pollard.
Mr.
S.
W.
Harris,
C.B.,
C.V.O.,
represented
the
Home
Office
and
Mr.
C.
B.
Williams
was
in
the
Chair.
Mr.
T.
G.
Mellors
representing
the
Nottingham
Probation
Committee
said
he
considered
the
preventive
work
of
probation
of
immense
importance
and
he
could
not
speak
too
highly
of
the
probation
officers
themselves.
After
the
usual
formal
business,
the
Conference
proceeded
to
a
consideration
of
the
Home
Office
request
for
the
opinion
of
probation
officers
on
the
subject
of
After-care
of :-
z.-Discharged
pupils
of
Home
Office
Schools.
2.-Discharged
inmates
of
Borstal
Institutions.
3.-Discharged
prisoners.
Mr.
S.
W.
Harris
gave
a
general
statement
on
the
subject
of
the
discussion
and
explained
the
various
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