Juvenile Offenders. (Hansard, 7 July 1914)

§ Mr. McKENNA

The number of young persons under sixteen received in prison in the year 1912 was thirty-seven. The figure 112, quoted from Table XVI. of the Criminal Statistics, includes, as will be seen from the note on page 69, a considerable number of adult persons whose cases were dealt with at Juvenile Courts because they were charged jointly with juvenile offenders. In twelve other cases included in the 112 the sentence was for one day only, and the offender would, in accordance with the usual practice, be released at the end of the day's proceedings without being sent to prison. No child under fourteen can be sentenced to imprisonment, and no young person between fourteen and sixteen can be sentenced to imprisonment unless the Court certifies that he is of so unruly a character that he cannot be detained in a place of detention under the Children Act, or that he is of so depraved a character that he is not a fit person to be so detained. The following table gives particulars of the young persons received in prison on conviction in 1912:—

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CONVICTED AT JUVENILE COURTS (including a few cases tried at ordinary Petty Sessions, because charged jointly with adults).
	Age of Offender.	Offence.	Sentence.	Prison to which Committed.
	Years.	Months.
1.	15	-	Carnal knowledge of imbecile women	3 months' hard labour	Reading.
2.	15	5	Indecent assault on girl under 13	21 days (second division)	Shrewsbury.
3.	15	3	Larceny	3 months (Borstal treatment)	Derby.
4.	15	6	Larceny	3 months (Borstal treatment)	Derby.
5.	15	-	Drunk and disorderly	1 month's hard labour	Derby.
6.	15	-	Common assault	14 days	St. Albans.
7.	15	-	Larceny	1 month	Manchester.
8.	15	-	Larceny	3 months' hard labour	Lincoln.
9.	15	-	Larceny	7 days	Norwich.
10.	15	6	Wandering abroad without visible means of subsistence	1 month's hard labour	Warwick.
11.	15	9	Wilful damage	Fine, 11s. 9d. or 7 days	Birmingham.
12.	14	-	Railway trespass	Fine, 10s. 6d. or 7 days	Cardiff.
13.	15	-	Gaming	Fine, 18s. or 7 days	Cardiff.
14.	15	1	Larceny	2 months (second division)	Durham.
15.	14	-	Larceny	Reformatory detention	Exeter.
16.	15	11	Obscene language	Fine, 14s. or 14 days	Hull.
17.	15	8	Wilful damage	Fine, £1 1s. 1d. or 7 days	Ipswich.
18.	15	6	Wilful damage	Fine, 14s. or 7 days	Ipswich.
19.	15	9	Wilful damage	Fine, 14s. or 7 days	Ipswich.
Obscene language	Fine, 12s. 7d. or 3 days
20.	15	6	Travelling on railway without paying fare	1 month	Lewes.
21.	15	9	Larceny	Reformatory detention	Lewes.
22.	15	5	Travelling on railway without paying fare	Fine, 15s. or 14 days	Lincoln.
23.	15	-	Soliciting for immoral purposes	3 months' hard labour	Pentonville.
24.	15	-	Soliciting for immoral purposes	Committed to Quarter Sessions as an incorrigible rogue. At Quarter Sessions he was sentenced to 9 months and to receive 25 strokes, birch	Pentonville.
25.	15	5	Larceny	Reformatory detention	Shrewsbury.
26.	15	6	Larceny and assault	6 weeks hard labour and Fine, 36s. 6d. or 1 month's hard labour, concurrent	Swansea.
27.	15	-	Travelling on railway without paying fare	Fine, 32s. or 14 days	Swansea.
28.	15	9	Larceny	1 month's hard labour	Winchester
CONVICTED AT QUARTER SESSIONS.
29.	15	-	Attempted unnatural offence	Reformatory detention	Exeter.
30.	14	6	Attempted unnatural offence	Reformatory detention	Exeter.
31.	15	8	Shopbreaking	Reformatory detention	Lancaster.
32.	15	6	Assault with intent to commit rape	2 years' hard labour	Lincoln.
33.	15	6	Attempted unnatural offence	1 month (second division)	Lincoln.
34.	15	-	Housebreaking	Reformatory detention	Northampton.
35.	15	-	Housebreaking	Reformatory detention	Northampton.
36.	15	-	Counting-house breaking	12 months (Borstal system)	Stafford.
CONVICTED AT ASSIZES.
37.	14	9	Indecency with male	1 month's hard labour	Cardiff.

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