VIII.-INDUSTRIES.

There was difficulty in finding work suitable for prisoners serving short sentences, and for evening employment in cells. Orders from the General Post Office for mailbags were considerably less than for each of the preceding three years.

More prisoners were, however, employed on the better class industries than in 1925-26 as will be seen from the following table :

Orders from the Admiralty for coal bags, hammocks, ships' fenders, matting, cartridge and projectile bags, etc., were up to the average of the previous year. Large orders for coir mats were received from the various departments, and it was found necessary to extend the industry by opening shops at Durham, Norwich, Portsmouth and Swansea prisons.

At Wandsworth and Wormwood Scrubs Prisons, power boring machines of the latest pattern were installed in the respective brush shops, and output was thereby substantially improved and increased. At Wakefield Prison the twine making industry has been brought up to date by the introduction of power spinning and polishing machines. Output has been doubled. Weaving at Wakefield was resumed at full capacity,-all surplus stocks of cloth having been absorbed.

The valuations of labour under each heading were:

IX. PUNISHMENTS.

The percentage of prisoners in local prisons who were punished for prison offences was 36, as compared with 38 last year, and 128 in 1913-14. The percentage of those who were punished for idleness was 0-6, the actual figure being 497. The percentage last year was 07 and in 1913-14 it was 16.1.

The punishments in convict prisons have been as follows:

The following table gives the corporal punishments in local and convict prisons since the beginning of the century :

There was also one case of corporal punishment in the Borstal Institution at Wormwood Scrubs.

The general state of discipline in the prisons is good, and we have nothing to add this year to the remarks which we have made on this subject in our last two reports.

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X.-AID ON DISCHARGE.

(1) Local Prisoners.-A summary compiled from returns furnished by Prisoners' Aid Societies relating to convicted prisoners discharged during 1926 shows that 24,703 men and 5,208 women were assisted, or about 58 and 25 per cent. respectively, of the total discharged. Of these 6,883 men and 1,062 women are reported to have been placed in work. In addition to the above convicted prisoners, some Societies were also able to afford assistance to remand and debtor prisoners.

The income of local prison Aid Societies is derived in part from a Government grant and in part from voluntary effort. The Government grant takes two forms: first, every society receives a capitation grant of 1s. for every convicted prisoner discharged, provided that this grant is met by a voluntary annual subscription of not less than half its amount: second, for some years past a special additional grant, amounting in 1926 to £750, has been made available for distribution to the Societies by the Commissioners after consultation with the Central Discharged Prisoners Aid Society. This special grant continues to act as a valuable stimulus to the work of the Societies.

The Societies must, however, of necessity continue to look to local effort for the major part of their income, especially those which are not fortunate in being able to draw on the proceeds of invested funds, charities, etc.; in this direction an example of enterprise has been set by some Societies which have at the same time added to their income and given publicity to their needs by different forms of special effort: one Society, for example, realised £174, by means of a garden party and special collections; another, £136, from a Flag Day" collection; a third £45, from entertainments; and so on. The total sum raised by local effort this year was £13,096 as against £13,018 last year.

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But in spite of all effort the income of Aid Societies as a whole continues to fall very far short of their needs.

The Central Discharged Prisoners Aid Society continues to do good work in assisting and promoting co-operation among the local Societies and in dealing with special cases including many difficult cases submitted by the local Societies. The number of cases dealt with by the Central Society has increased from 335 in 1924 and 394 in 1925 to 522 in 1926.

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(2) Borstal Association.-The Association report that 265 of the 538 lads, and 29 of the 33 girls discharged during 1926 had been found work by our Staff and Associates before the end of March, that 214 had been found work by friends, and that only 34 lads were then still out of work. Further, 127 have been moved from undesirable to new districts and there given a fresh, unencumbered start.

"Of the 538 lads, 76 had been convicted at least five times; 167 had been under treatment in Reformatories or Industrial Schools, and 154 had been in prison. They were in fact drifting into a persistent life of crime, and their recovery to honest ways is a great gain to the health and comfort of the community. It is a permanent gain, for the efforts of the officers of the Institutions, followed by the help organised by this Association, do produce a success which is lasting. For instance, of the 453 lads discharged in 1924, 67 per cent. have not again come into conflict with the law, though the last three years have been exceptionally difficult ones for the unskilled labourer. The same can be said of 76 per cent. of the 63 girls discharged in that year."

Further particulars of the above 538 discharged in 1926 show that 131 were physically or mentally below the average; 188 came from indifferent homes; 43 from homes which were definitely bad; 40 had no homes; 44 were orphans; 21 were illegitimate; only 178 had both parents alive and came from homes apparently satisfactory.

(3) Central Association for Discharged Convicts.—Four hundred and fifty-seven men and 27 women were discharged from penal servitude during the year under review to the care of the Central Association. Work was found for 164 men and 12 women, whilst substantial assistance was given in other ways to another 207 men and 8 women, of whom 91 men and 8 women obtained employment through friends or by their own endeavours. Other assistance has been given to 38 men. Forty-four men and 5 women did not require assistance and 4 men and 2 women were referred to Institutions.

Of the above 484 men and women, 295 were recidivists.

Twenty-seven men and 1 woman were discharged from preventive detention prisons during the year, 13 men and 1 woman. on licence, and 14 men on expiration of sentence. Work was found for 10 men and 1 woman; substantial help was given to 11, 6 of whom obtained work through friends. Six required no assistance.

Attached are the Reports (a) of the Medical Commissioner and (b) of the Administrative Inspectors.

The usual statistical returns are given in the Appendices.

* Acting Chairman, during the absence of the Chairman, Mr. M. L. WALLER, on sick leave.

REPORT OF THE MEDICAL COMMISSIONER.

I have the honour to submit the usual medical statistics for the year ended 31st December, 1926.

I.-Local Prisons.

The daily average number of sick prisoners treated out of hospital was 693, 531 men and 162 women. The daily average hospital population was 401, 309 men and 92 women. This gives a proportion of sick in hospital to the general prison population of 4.2 per cent. in the case of men, and 12.2 per cent. in the caseof women.

Thirteen men and 13 women (including 12 cases of advanced pregnancy) were released on medical grounds.

In addition to these, 59 men and 8 women were removed to civil hospitals under the provisions of Section 17 (6) of the Criminal Justice Administration Act, 1914, for operation or special treatment; of these 4 men died during the currency of their sentences.

Including the 4 men who died in civil hospitals during the currency of their sentences the total number of deaths was 42, 36 men and 6 women. Of these, 17 were executed (16 men and 1 woman). There were also 5 suicides (4 men and 1 woman).

This leaves 16 deaths amongst the men and 4 among the women due to natural causes, giving an annual death rate of 2.7 per 1,000, as compared with 2'8 last year.

The number of prisoners certified as insane in local prisons was 108, 90 men and 18 women, as compared with 98 (84 men and 14 women) last year. In addition to these, 156 men and 34 women remand prisoners were found by Medical Officers to be insane and were dealt with by the Courts; 21 men and 4 women were found by juries to be insane on arraignment and 19 men and 11 women guilty but insane.

In addition to the mental cases referred to above, 1,546 men and 702 women were remanded to prison for observation and reports to the Court as to their mental condition.

The number of mental defectives reported to Courts and dealt with under Section 8, Mental Deficiency Act, 1913, was 221, of whom 189 were men and 32 women.

Fifty-one men and 8 women were certified as mentally defective under the Mental Deficiency Act, 1913, whilst undergoing sentences of imprisonment in local prisons, and of these, 36 men and 5 women were removed to institutions by order of the Secretary of State under Section 9 of the Act. Those not removed to institutions were sent to the care of the Local Poor Law Authority or brought to the notice of the local branch of the Central Association of Mental Welfare on discharge.

II.-Borstal Institutions.

The daily average number of inmates in hospital was 20 in the case of lads, and 5 in the case of the girls. There were also