Training. It is generally conceded that the tendency in the past has been "to do everything for the men " in penal establishments. In an institution where the main feature of its work is the training of men for freedom it would be wrong to allow this criticism of its methods to be true. In last year's report I gave particulars of the scheme employed here for developing initiative and a sense of responsibility by allowing a reasonable latitude for the performance. of every day duties. "Organization orders are suspended in each House, and are shown to each new arrival, showing the men what is required of them and telling them that they are held strictly to account for their due observance. Instead of depending upon the officer to explain these small points, he is free to devote his attention to more important matters of conduct and training. Incidentally, this method helps to overcome the difficulty, experienced everywhere I believe, which is occasioned by the constant absence of officers from their regular work.

In various small ways we have advanced in this direction during the past twelve months, and there is no reason to regret the latitude which has been allowed. Our experience is that the men find the system more exacting than the older method, which I submit is as it should be.

Education.-Nothing, to my mind, has done more to improve the atmosphere and tone of this Centre, and to change the attitude of mind of the men than this branch of activity. Steady progress has been made along the lines of getting all the men to engage in some educational pursuit and in providing classes for all to take part.

One of our leading after-care workers of long experience has favoured me with the following impression-" The men have been more responsive and easy to deal with on discharge than any body of ex-prisoners in my experience. Somehow, they seemed to have returned with more sense. I believe the educational programme is largely responsible for the difference in the mentality of the men on discharge."

Wandsworth Prison (Governor).

Special Class.-This class presents a serious problem. The young men that compose it are found to be the most difficult type to control; being young, they are the more worthy to receive the greatest effort in reclamation. This is constantly kept in view in dealing with them; selected visitors are allocated to them and the Prisoners' Aid Society makes special efforts in their cases.

From my experience of this class of prisoner I am strongly of the opinion that the "special class," as such, could be dealt with more satisfactorily in a separate establishment where only "special class " prisoners are confined. The number in such an establishment should not exceed one hundred and fifty to two hundred. The only means of re-establishing this class of youth is, to individualize and, to get to know him thoroughly.

Wandsworth Prison (Chaplain).

I regret to be unable to report favourably on the Special Class as at present constituted. In my opinion there is no hope of satis factory results until it is possible to transfer it to a separate establishment, and to adopt a closer classification.

Wandsworth Prison (Medical Officer).

Commitment of Mental Defectives and People of Unstable Mentality. All prisoners considered to come under this category are located on a special landing and are under observation night and day. They are employed at suitable work, are given two exercises per day in the winter and three in summer, and those who are suitable are taught raffia work by voluntary women visitors from the Brabazon Society. They are visited every day by me and are interviewed individually on frequent occasions.

We have now experienced a full year of this prison being a collecting centre for these cases, and fifty-seven men reputed to come under this heading have been transferred here from other prisons. Each of these prisoners, together with a large number of direct receptions, has presented an anxious problem in arriving at a diagnosis. It has been found that a few are certifiably insane, but a strikingly large number have been considered fit for ordinary prison discipline after a few weeks' observation.

Those in whom there is a genuine pathological element, the mentally enfeebled from age, a past attack of insanity or some other cause are definitely not fit for prison discipline, and are therefore treated as mental patients. The work of the Brabazon Society has made an enormous difference in their prison lives, but one can only go on asking, "If not fit for prison discipline, why send them to prison?" If a man prefers the prison or prison hospital to the workhouse or infirmary (as many do) why not send him to the place he most dislikes if he breaks the law?

The wide publicity given nowadays to psychological questions and the prevailing fashion of producing evidence of some kind or another at the trial in the presence of the prisoner to shelter the delinquent from the natural consequences of his actions are distinctly harmful. It is not only harmful to an individual to have had it instilled into his mind that he is different from other wrongdoers, but it is harmful to the reformative and deterrent effects of prison discipline and an unnecessary waste of time for all concerned.

Wandsworth Boys' Prison (Governor).

Reports on the mental condition of 236 remands were sent to Court. Fifty-eight (i.e. about 57 per cent. of all remands) were considered certifiable as mentally deficient. Six were insane, and 72 could be described as mental inefficients.

Speaking generally of the boys seen here, if there is any one characteristic which makes them different from other boys it is their inability to stick for long to work or anything else. On leaving school at 14 they drift from one job to another, and are often almost encouraged to do so by their parents, who readily accept their excuses for leaving work which are usually, "not enough money,' or too long hours." Their work is often of the "blind alley" type, and when they reach 16 years of age they find that their employer wants a younger boy, and that they themselves are not worth much to a new employer as two years spent as an errand boy did not fit them for any special form of labour. The intelligent boy often then realizes that his parents made a mistake in not putting him to some form of work when he was 14 at, perhaps, lower wages, where he would have had an opportunity to learn a little about some trade.

In the Boys' Prison the conditions under which a boy is observed are far from normal. It is possible to give an opinion of weight on his intelligence, but it is difficult to form a correct one on his emotional stability which is often as important a factor as intelligence in producing delinquency. It is necessary to know the whole nature of the delinquent, what traits in his make-up render him specially susceptible to the influence of bad environment, and what traits are likely to help him to react well to treatment.

Wandsworth Boys' Prison (Chaplain).

The composition of the stream of boys which finds its way to the prison is extraordinarily mixed; while every type seems to be represented, the most common is that produced by ignorance, unemployment, want of discipline and sense of responsibility. The greater number appear to have had no definite religious teaching, and to have been attached to no club or organization engaged in boy-welfare-unless for a period too short to be of use to them.

Wormwood Scrubs Prison (Governor).

The experiment of committing to this prison only those who are First Offenders and those who have not been in prison previously, though they have been on probation or bound over; has now been in operation for twelve months, and some idea can be formed of its success or otherwise.

I have no hesitation in saying that the experiment has so far been successful in helping to restore the man to his manhood and again put him on the way to become a good citizen.

Wormwood Scrubs Prison (Chaplain).

Probation. I have always been a firm believer in probation, but I feel that the present system is most ineffective in the case of youths and young men from 18 to 25. During the last twelve months I have only come across three or four men who have come to prison after being "Bound Over" between 25 and 40. But I regret to say that during the same period we have had a considerable number of the younger sort. I do not think they realize what probation or binding over means. To every man coming here I put the following questions: Have you been in prison before?" "Have you been fined?' "Have you been bound over or placed on probation?" Should the answer be " No," I then ask: "Have you ever been in the hands of the police?" Often the reply is "Yes; but I was let off." On closer investigation I find that the individual in question has been bound over or placed on probation. I then say: "If instead of being bound over the Magistrate said: 'Your sentence is six months in prison, but you will not be called upon to serve that sentence unless you appear on another charge,' would you be where you are to-day?" The answer invariably is: “ No; certainly not."

I would strongly urge that the "suspended sentence " be introduced to take the place of probation or binding over, especially in the case of the younger offender (18 to 25 or 30).

All the services for the men are voluntary; but for the Revokees, as in all Borstal Institutions, the Sunday and Wednesday morning services are compulsory. I am very happy to be able to report that the majority of the men on leaving here express their gratitude for the help they have received as a result of their attendance at the services.

BORSTAL INSTITUTIONS.

Aylesbury (Governor).

The general conduct of the inmates has much improved. Fortythree have been punished during the year, six of these being cases of escape or attempts to escape.

Although the actual number of offences may not show a decrease, the general tone of behaviour in the institution has improved very considerably and not nearly the same difficulty is experienced with minor reports for slackness, lack of attention and general unsatisfactory behaviour.

Aylesbury (Medical Officer).

It is probable, judging from what is known of their family histories, that lack of parental control and discipline during childhood accounts for a large proportion of the more intelligent girls getting into trouble.

Borstal (Governor).

The number of escapes or attempts to escape is 12. This works out at 25 per cent. of the inmates handled, and is in my judgment a surprising figure. When we consider that more than 75 per cent. of the inmates work outside the wall in absolutely open, well-wooded country, many of them on pass and only under the supervision of the Principal Officer patrolling, the remainder in groups-not very small ones at that-with one officer working with them, there is reason for the opinion that it is a surprisingly good figure.

It is hardly to be expected that the class of lad we receive is going to appreciate at once the training of a Borstal Institution. He knows he has been sentenced to Borstal detention for three years with all the pomp, solemnity and circumstance of the law. He arrives at Borstal after a few weeks in what is frankly and avowedly a prison. It is small wonder he sees many loopholes for escape. It would be unnatural if a few did not seize one of the many chances given them.

It is noteworthy that practically all escapes or attempts to escape have been made by lower grade lads. The specially-trusted Special Grade lads appear to have become imbued with the tradition that it is not done" and "don't do it."

The past year has seen the Houses divided into Groups and a weekly competition is held in each House. The Section with the cleanest rooms and the best record for conduct and therefore industry, is rewarded with the comparatively simple but eagerly sought after privilege of a walk with the Housemaster or his Assistant on Sunday.

The Technical School at Rochester has, during the Winter Sessions, taken 24 of our inmates. No fewer than 882 attendances were made.

Feltham (Medical Officer).

With regard to the cases of the mentally retarded, I agree with my colleagues who have previously reported the necessity for a special institution where these cases, and those who are somewhat unstable mentally, could receive more individual attention and specialized treatment.

Because a lad has a low mental age it does not follow that he cannot benefit by treatment and training, as has previously been pointed out. The mental age of some of these cases has shown a gain of two or even three years before discharge.

Portland (Governor).

The Group System.-The system of dividing the Houses into groups of 12 to 14 lads under their own leader has been in operation for two years, and has proved itself to be of great value. Friendly rivalry is fostered by weekly competitions in good conduct, cleanliness and application to work, and by the award of sporting trophies.

When a lad comes into the Institution, he is sent to one or other of the Houses, and his Housemaster allots him to a particular group. We have abandoned the old method of segregating the Ordinary Grade, and the Intermediate "A," and instead have plunged the newcomer straight into the life of the House. Experiment has proved this to be a much better method, avoiding, as it does, the semi-prison restraint of the first few months. The finest disciplinary factor is a sound and well-ordered public opinion, and a lad comes under this at once.

The great trouble with most lads is a selfishness either innate or bred by environment; they have been taught to think only of themselves, and most offences have been committed with a view to personal gain; to think of others has not been the lesson of their upbringing, and to overcome this a system has been introduced whereby the individual conduct of every lad is reflected on his group.

It is surprising how a lad responds to the plaudits or the stings. of public opinion, and so doing is made to feel throughout his working day of others rather than selfishly following his own volition.

A feature of the educational course has been the establishment of a Discharge Class into which are put all the lads within two months of leaving. During this time they are taught domestic subjects which will be of use, e.g. boot repairing, darning and mending of clothes, and a course of household jobbing. In addition it has been found of great value to take the class in the moral and civil duties of citizenship, their relation to the law, and to give them an intimate appreciation of what their licence means.

Portland (Chaplain).

Good family influence is the exception and not the rule. One hundred consecutive cases show 69 with one step-parent or other, or one parent dead, or divorce or separation, or living with other partners."

Most lads have some basis of ideals in their makeup. Sometimes they are conscious of this possession; for the most part their ideals are seldom thought of or analysed, rather they function with an almost instinctive influence which, after all, is natural and desirable enough. In some degree they are implanted in the human as part of his birthright; or else the child is absorbing them from his parents; or again the lad admires and imitates certain qualities in friend or companion; and finally the adolescent and youth (say from 14 to 24 years of age) is subconsciously selecting and concentrating upon influences which will last him throughout life.

In the main our lad does, I think, admire virtues in other people. It is another matter to get him to try to cultivate them in himself. From time to time though he does get a desire to attain virtues; yet the drudgery that must precede attainment too often makes him think that he can never live up to this standard which somehow he would like to reach-and disappointment comes and resolution goes.

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