In all 108 cases were reported to the Courts to be insane and 42 to be mentally deficient within the meaning of the Act of 1913. Only 33 were actually dealt with under the Act, the remaining nine deficients being dealt with in various ways.

We have again had to deal with a large number of borderline cases. More prolonged experience merely confirms me in the opinion that further legislation is needed for the proper treatment of these delinquents. It will be agreed by all that ordinary prison discipline is unsuitable for them; and, indeed, no attempt is commonly made to enforce it. When they come into prison they become medical cases and pass their short sentences in observation wards, where, as all Medical Officers must know, it is difficult or impossible to do them much good. Our ordinary prisons do not provide enough exercise, recreation or suitable work for them.

Both in his own and in the public interest, the borderline case of persistent delinquent tendencies should be secluded until there is a reasonable prospect that he will not resume his anti-social habits. I am quite confident that, if the necessary change in the law were effected, most Courts would welcome the opportunity to send such cases to a suitable institution. I believe also that public opinion is ready for the change. After all, the proposal involves no principle. At present the lunatic and the mental deficient receive indeterminate sentences by quite summary procedures. It is felt that this is best for the patients, as it is obviously best for society. Why should the all but insane and the all but deficient be treated so very differently?

Cardiff Prison (Governor).

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I regret to say that cases of young persons are still received for minor offences such as gaming, playing football in street, and the like, and some have quite a number of convictions recorded against them. They are usually lads who have been out of employment a long time and their offences seem a natural sequence to that fact.

The female population, drawn from the very large area which this prison serves, happily remains low, and is made up to a large extent of recidivist women, many of whose lives are spent almost entirely in prison, with brief snatches of liberty, seldom exceeding a few days, during which they reduce themselves to a state bordering upon insanity by drinking methylated spirits and other intoxicants.

Dorchester Prison (Governor).

No difficulties about bail have occurred except, curiously enough, in the case of serving soldiers and sailors. On several occasions men of this class have been compelled to await trial for a considerable time and have been discharged at Court. Their relatives and friends have been too poor to offer themselves as sureties and I have appealed to the unit or ship to take action, but have been told that they are unable to do anything in the matter.

Durham Prison (Governor).

So far as I can judge, Courts whenever possible allow time to pay fines when fines are imposed. By taking advantage of this indulgence no doubt many people avoid the experience of imprisonment. On the other hand, many, especially young prisoners, make no effort to pay a paltry fine, say 5s. or 10s. in two or three months. They prefer to come to prison.

The number of persons detained under the rules for debtors has again been large. Perhaps some few of them would have made some effort to pay their wife maintenance or bastardy arrears had they been in work, but the debtor, as we know him in this prison, is generally a useless, idle loafer who prefers to serve a short sentence under the easy conditions applicable to debtors to contributing towards the support of his lawful wife and family or his illegitimate child. Generally speaking the debtor is not worthy of the least sympathy.

The public opinion of the mess table seems to bar obscenities or bad language-the privilege of dining at a common board is too highly valued to be risked by any impropriety. All this is good and healthy, and in my opinion justifies the continuance of associated meals amongst selected prisoners.

Durham Prison (Chaplain).

Young Prisoners.-I suspect that the evening classes of instruction in elementary subjects are more valuable for these lads than is generally supposed, although the time is so short.

A revision of school work at this age helps to recover and consolidate what they have already been taught.

The Recidivist.-Modern methods of reform are isolating this core, and a very large core it is. I think, in fairness to other prison elements, their segregation should be complete in Recidivist prisons. It is the Recidivist that makes a prison a prison. They monopolise attention and weaken appeal.

Exeter Prison (Governor).

A still further increase in the number of those "on the road" is noted. Last year, of 382 men and women committed, 163 had no fixed abode. This year, of 408 committed, 219 were without fixed abode. Quite 75 per cent. of these homeless are ablebodied, which is in direct contrast with the situation a few years back, when the large majority suffered from some physical or mental disability.

Drill.-Physical training has been extended. The drill squad now averages about 20 men. Drill will be gradually extended to still older men in due course. There is no doubt that some physical training does much to counteract the effects of the sedentary prison life. I do feel that, in the past, too little attention has been paid to the physical side of a prisoner's life, and that much remains to be done in this respect.

Holloway Prison (Governor).

I have great doubts as to the advisability of giving bail to those who have many previous convictions. I have been told by two women (well-known shoplifters) how much they appreciated having bail, as it enabled them to commit further thefts while on bail and so get sufficient money to employ solicitor and counsel.

The fullest use has been made of Probation, but I am afraid that many of the persons placed on probation do not appreciate the chance. I am of opinion that the person placed on probation should be made to feel the loss of something. At present the majority so treated look on it as "been let off" because the Court did not consider the offence a serious one.

I believe a very genuine effort has been made by all the Courts not to send young prisoners to prison for their first offence. On the other hand, a very large number of young girls have been sent to prison for a week on remand to obtain the necessary certificate as to their state of mind and health. This is a great mistake, for these girls thus obtain some knowledge of prison life, although kept strictly to themselves. When they return to Court, and the offer of a home or convent is given to them, they refuse it, preferring a month or two of prison to 6 or 12 months in a convent.

The recidivist naturally keeps the prisons open to a large extent. At this prison about 70 per cent. of the women are recidivists, and of these 50 per cent. are for drunkenness. It is an amazing thing to my mind that a country such as ours should continue to send these wretched alcoholics to prison. These women have not committed any criminal offence, and I may say that if some proper method were devised for dealing with this unfortunate class the greater part of this prison could be closed.

I would again ask that power might be given to the Visiting Committee or some other body to make it possible to remove undesirable cases from the second division.

Holloway Prison (Chaplain).

The short sentence cuts at the root of penal reform. The present method of sentencing alcoholics and deficients to brief and repeated terms of imprisonment amounts to a scandal. If legislation could be introduced making it possible to treat these human derelicts in suitable settlements, huge, unwieldy establishments like Holloway could be closed down.

Every effort has been made to assist young prisoners in prison, and on discharge. They require, however, treatment far different to that which prison can ever afford. These young people are very susceptible to environment-prison walls, prison cells, prison detention under lock and key, and sedentary employment militate against their highest interests. They require healthy surroundings, fresh air, plenty of exercise, outdoor work, and keen interests. At present, we seem to be knocking them down with one hand, and striving to pull them up with the other.

Perhaps in this transition stage all is being done that can be done in Holloway. But, it is impossible to avoid the conclusion that whatever the prison methods may be, imprisonment for girls is wholly wrong.

Holloway Prison (Medical Officer).

The number complaining sick and in hospital is very large when compared with a male prison of the same size. The fact that women suffer more from minor ailments does not entirely explain the large numbers, but I think it is chiefly to be found in the fact that 80 per cent. of the women received are below par.

The special class for weak-minded prisoners started last year has been working well. Although one of the centres for weak-minded prisoners, the class has been almost entirely composed of women committed direct to this prison.

The weak-minded prisoners are located on a special landing where an officer is always on duty. They are seen daily by one of the Medical Officers, have two exercises daily, and attend a special Brabazon class every week.

During the year there has been a fall again in the prison population, but I regret to say that there has not been a corresponding fall in the numbers of abnormal mental cases. As I have pointed out in previous reports, the need of fresh legislation in reference to subnormal mental cases is long overdue. Prison is not the place for these cases, and if other provision was made for those cases we now term uncertifiable cases of mental defect," a very large part of Holloway might be closed. A large part of our population is made up of the alcoholic noisy woman. These women frequently commit acts of violence, more especially the night of their reception, or the following day, while they are still suffering from the after effect of alcohol. During the year no form of restraint of any kind has been used. When one looks back on the days when it was usual to restrain women for acts of violence one cannot but help feel that this method of treatment stimulated violence more than it subdued it.

The number of cases received from the Summary Courts for report was 539, viz., 322 for state of mind, 177 for state of health and 40 cases were examined as to their state of mind and health and suitability for admission to homes. Of these cases 24 were found to be insane and 15 were mentally deficient and dealt with under Section 8 of the Mental Deficiency Act, while at least 40 per cent. of the remainder were not normal mentally and, therefore, as they could not be dealt with under either the Mental Deficiency Act or Lunacy Act, were placed under such control as could be found. As will be readily seen these are the cases for which legislation is so urgently required.

Of the cases sent for trial 2 were found insane on arraignment and 3 guilty but insane. There were 5 cases handed over to the Local Authority and 2 cases dealt with under Section 9 of the Mental Deficiency Act. With regard to the mental state of prisoners on remand, or awaiting trial, a most useful discussion took place at the recent International Prison Congress, and in view of this I beg to make a few observations on this matter.

The present practice when a report on a prisoner's mental state is required, is for the Clerk of the Court to stamp on the warrant words to the effect that the Magistrates direct that the Medical Officer should inquire into the prisoner's state of mind.

No information of any kind accompanies the request in 98 per cent. of the cases. The Police are always quite willing to give information when I ask for it, but I am of the opinion that this request ought not to be necessary. In every case where a report is asked for, the Court or Police should furnish the Medical Officer with any history of the case they may have, and failing this, the reason why the Court asks for the examination of the prisoner's state of mind. I do not think this is much to ask for as it is only what any medical man would be given when consulted about a patient.

Hull Prison (Governor).

Committing Courts generally are as generous as possible in the matter of bail; too generous sometimes, in my opinion, with old offenders, who probably take the opportunity to continue to prey on the public.

There was last year a welcome decrease in the number of committals of persons suitable for treatment in the Young Prisoners' Class, but this year the number has returned approximately to that

of 1923-24. Careful consideration of each case on committal has not, however, discounted my impression that Court Authorities in this area generally bear in mind the undesirability of such committals where they can properly be avoided. I fear that this year's increase is, in a considerable degree, due to lads leaving school with no opportunity for employment except such as Satan is reputed to find for idle hands.

In very few cases in which inquiries have been made into the circumstances, have the results been such as to inspire sympathy with the debtors. In the majority of cases they are of a worthless type (idle, drunken, immoral, gambling, etc.), and have little sense of responsibility as regards their families, or their creditors. I feel that in many cases the rules for debtors operate much too generously, especially where men deliberately refrain from payments for maintenance of their own children. Compare such cases with those of men committed on non-payment of fine for some more or less trivial offence, and who have to be treated under the rules for criminals.

As regards the women, the bulk of the population of the prison is of persons who are frequently in and out. One cannot emphasize too strongly the utter futility of continuing with one short sentence after another. It would be in the public interest, and also generally a real kindness to the persons of both sexes concerned, if a system of indeterminate sentences could be introduced for habitual offenders, whether serious or petty. A body similar to the Advisory Committees of Preventive Detention Prisons could recommend release on licence when the necessary moral cure appeared to be effected.

Adult Education.-The value of this work cannot be overestimated. In addition to broadening the outlook of the prisoners who attend the classes, etc., the knowledge of the self-sacrifice made by the teachers has a great moral effect. Bitterness against society is lessened, and belief in themselves, consequent on the belief in them indicated by the work, is heightened. This remark applies to all the voluntary workers, to all of whom I am intensely grateful.

Hull Prison (Chaplain).

I know classification is difficult, but I am still most firmly of the opinion that young prisoners, and prisoners on their first charge, ought to be kept away altogether from a place where recidivists

come.

We have a large percentage of our men who are recidivists. They are of the lower and baser sort, some of whom come through sheer misfortune, but others through perfect indifference. They take outside the line of least resistance; prison to them is no deterrent. I am perfectly persuaded there is no way of dealing with them except by putting them for long terms in enforced labour upon land, and in quarries. They will never be cured by the present system of short terms in a local prison. Many of them, and more especially among the women, ought to be in inebriate homes, or homes of strict discipline for a certain class of mentally deficient.

Leeds Prison (Governor).

I think there is room for improvement in the carrying out of the Probation Order.

To bind over a man or lad and tell him to report once a week is too easy and means nothing. It is the spare time of the probationer that needs supervising and filling up, and when so many are