Captain CAZALETasked the Home Secretary whether he contemplates introducing legislation providing for the physical and mental examination of young offenders before sentence and the prohibition of imprisonment of persons under the age of 21?
§ Sir J. SIMONI fully recognise the objections to sentencing young offenders to imprisonment if any possible alternative is available, but the question whether such an alternative is appropriate in an individual case must be for the Court to decide, and legislation removing all discretion from the Courts would not, I fear, be practicable. It is, of course, desirable, if there is any doubt as to an offender's mental condition, that the Court should obtain a medical report before deciding how to deal with him, and that in all cases account should be taken of the offender's history and circumstances, but this is a different matter from requiring a medical report to be obtained in every case regardless of the circumstances.