HC Deb 28 May 1952 vol 501 cc1352-4
28. Mr. Sorensen

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies at what age juveniles can be sentenced to imprisonment in African and in West Indian Colonies; for what offences juveniles and adults can be sentenced to corporal punishment in the West Indies; how many were so sentenced last year; and what are the alleged causes of the greater proportion per population of juvenile offences punished by corporal punishment in East Africa as compared with West Africa.

Mr. Hopkinson

I am making inquiries about the first two parts of the Question and will write to the hon. Member when I have the information. As the reply to the rest of the Question is rather long, I will, with permission, circulate it in the OFFICIAL REPORT.

Mr. Sorensen

Would the hon. Gentleman say to what extent juvenile courts are operating in the Colonies now?

Mr. Hopkinson

That is a different question.

Mr. Sorensen

Will that be included with the information?

Following is the reply:

The numbers of sentences of corporal punishment awarded last year to juveniles and adults in the West Indian territories are as follows:

Colony Juveniles Adults
British Guiana … 30 2
Barbados … Nil Nil
British Honduras … 20 Nil
Leeward Islands: …
Antigua … 23 Nil
St. Kitts Nevis … 11 Nil
Montserrat … 3 Nil
Virgin Islands … Nil Nil
Windward Islands: …
Dominica … 38 Nil
St. Vincent … Nil Nil

The 1951 figures for Jamaica, Trinidad, St. Lucia and Grenada have not been yet received. The following figures are for 1950:

Colony Juveniles Adults
Jamaica … … 343 208
Trinidad … … 39 Nil
St. Lucia … … 38 Nil
Grenada … … 2 Nil

As regards the last part of the Question, I assume that the hon. Member has in mind my reply to his Question on 21st May, which shows that the numbers of juveniles who received corporal punishment in the last year for which complete figures are available were approximately 32 per million of the population in West Africa and 46 per million in East Africa.

I regret that it is not possible to offer an explanation of this difference, which would not necessarily be the same in every year. Many factors may affect the situation, such as the prevalence of juvenile crime in different territories, the success of the police in apprehending offenders, the attitude of the courts to various offences and the existence of other methods of treatment.