Crime -- England -- London; London (England) -- Social conditions; Poor -- England -- London
Vagrancy, with its attendant evils, would be greatly diminished, many
prisons would be closed, workhouses and casual wards would be less
necessary. The cost of the scheme would be more than repaid to the
community by the savings effected in other ways. The moral effect also
would be equally large, and the physical effects would be almost past
computing, for it would do much to arrest the decay of the race that
appears inseparable from our present conditions and procedure.
But the State must do something more than this; for many young habitual
offenders are too young for emigration. For them the State reformatories
must be established, regardless of their physical condition. To these
reformatories magistrates must have the power of committal as certainly
as they have the power of committal to prison. There must be no "by your
leave," no calling in a doctor to examine the offender. But promptly
and certainly when circumstances justify the committal to a State
reformatory, the youthful offender should go. With the certainty that,
be his physique and intellect what they may, he would be detained,
corrected and trained for some useful life. Or, if found "quite unfit"
or feeble-minded, sent to an institution suitable to his condition.
Older criminals, when proved to be mentally unsound, are detained in
places other than prisons till their health warrants discharge. But
the potential criminals among the young, no matter how often they are
brought before the courts, are either sent back to hopeless liberty or
thrust into prison for a brief period.
I repeat that philanthropy cannot attempt to deal with the habitual
offenders, either in the days of their boyhood or in their early
manhood. For philanthropy can at the most deal with but a few, and those
few must be of the very best.
I cannot believe that our colonies would refuse to ratify the
arrangement that I have outlined, if they were invited to do so by our
own Government, and given proper security. They owe us something; we
called them into existence, we guarantee their safety, they receive
our grit, blood and money; will they not receive, then, under proper
conditions and safeguards, some of our surplus youth, even if it be
weak? I believe they will!
In the strictures that I have ventured to pass upon the methods of the
Salvation Army, I wish it to be distinctly understood that I make
no attack upon the character and intentions of the men and women who
compose it. I know that they are both earnest and sincere. For many of
them I have a great admiration. My strictures refer to the methods and
the methods only.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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