CRIME AXD 1-EEBLE-MIXDED>'E.SS. 11!> 



but ill tlie long' run they might be found to be economical. The 

 feeble-minded are. I understand, easier to manage than normal 

 criminals, and M'ould thus require less supervision, and 

 probably more work could be got out of tliem. 



In the recently published Eeport of the Director of 

 Prisons, he mentions that arraug'ements had been made for all 

 inmates of reformatories and all persons declared to be habitual 

 criminals to be examined by a psychiatrist (expert in mental 

 diseases). " Uiifortunately,'' he adds, " the shortag'e of 

 doctors at the mental asylums prevented these inspections 

 being" carried out before the end of the year, but I hope that 

 these will be possible next year." " The results of these 

 inspections,'" he says, '' should be of great assistance to the 

 administration, as undoubtedly there is an appreciable propor- 

 tion whose mental condition is below par, and who are not 

 only unsuited to the usual routine, but retard the progress of 

 the normal inmate."' 



The Eeport only extended to the end of 1918. but I am 

 afraid the next year of which the Director speaks has gone 

 past without the inspections being completed, and, so far as 

 I know, they have not yet been completed. 



Further, the Director probably only refers to European 

 inmates of reformatories and European habitual criminals. 

 ]N^ow, it must be realised that these form only a small propor- 

 tion of the convicted criminals in the Union. The native 

 population of the Union is some five times as large as the 

 European population, and among the prison population is found 

 a still larger proportion of natives. Thus in 1918 the daily 

 average of persons in custody was 15,0GT'6, of whom 1,175 were 

 Europeans and 13.550 were natives and coloured, the 

 Europeans thus being- in a proportion of about 1 to 12 natives 

 and coloured persons. The fact of the g-reat majority of con- 

 victs being natives greatly increases the diihculty of the 

 problem of feeble-mindedness in this country. There can be 

 no doubt that feeble-mindedness is to be found amongst native 

 and coloured convicts. But how is it to be detected y The tests 

 applied in the case of Europeans are unsuitable, and satisfac- 

 tory tests have not yet been discovered. The great difficulty 

 is to find persons who understand the native and his language 

 and possess the special knowledge that enables them to api^re- 

 ciate feeble-mindedness. Here is a subject that calls loudly 

 for research. Possibly some of our missionaries will render 

 assistance in the matter. 



In conclusion, I may refer to a point which is, perhans, 

 rather medical than legal. Feeble-mindedness is hereditary. 

 In the case of the offspring of the normal ])erson and the 

 feeble-minded, it folloM's Mendel's law. It is therefore of 

 the utmost importance that the feeble-minded should be 

 prevented from propagation. Segregation will prevent this to 

 some extent, but, in my opinion, any law dealing with 

 the subject should authorise sterilisation, subject to due 

 precautions. 



