Mental Defectives and Sexual Offenders | Page 4

|Professor Shelley, Professor of Education, | Canterbury College. |Mr. A. Bissett, Juvenile Probation Officer, | Christchurch. |Visit of inspection paid to Paparua Prison, | Templeton. Wellington, 15th July, |Colonel Bray, Secretary, Men's Department, 1924. (Forenoon only) | Social Service Work, Salvation Army. |Canon T. Feilden Taylor, Social Service | Department of Church of England. |Professor Kirk, Professor of Biology, | Victoria College. |Mr. F. S. Shell, Juvenile Probation Officer. Wellington, 16th July, |Dr. E. Fenwick, representing the British 1924. (Forenoon only) | Medical Association, Wellington Branch. |Mrs. Brigadier Glover, Salvation Army Prison | Officer and Probation Officer. |Miss Jean Begg. |Mr. R. W. Bligh, White Cross League | representative. Wellington, 24th July, |Visit of inspection to Point Halswell 1924. | Reformatory, Wellington. Levin, 5th August, 1924. |Visit of inspection to Boys' Training Farm, | Weraroa. Nelson, 22nd August, |Dr. Gray, Superintendent, Mental Hospital, 1924. | Nelson. |Visit of inspection to Special School for | Girls, Richmond. |Visit of inspection to Mental Hospital, | Stoke. |Visit of inspection to Mental Hospital, | Nelson. Wellington, 9th |Consideration of report. September, 1924. | (Forenoon only) | 12th September, 1924. | " 15th September, 1924. | " (Afternoon only) | 16th September, 1924. | " (Afternoon only) | 22nd September, 1924. | " (Afternoon only) | 6th October, 1924. | " (Forenoon only) | 13th October, 1924. | " (Forenoon only) | 22nd October, 1924. | " (Forenoon only) | 24th October, 1924. | " 28th October, 1924. | " (Forenoon only) | 29th October, 1924. | " (Forenoon only) | 5th November, 1924. | " (Forenoon only) |
It will thus be seen that, apart from time spent in travelling, the Committee have met on thirty-five days and have heard ninety-two witnesses in person.
The Committee would like to express their thanks to the witnesses, many of whom went to considerable trouble to collect information and prepare evidence. They are especially grateful to the British Medical Association for its willing co-operation and assistance; to the large number of members of the medical profession throughout the Dominion who responded to the Committee's request for information; to the authorities overseas for their response to requests for information; and to many other persons who by means of correspondence and literature have placed at the Committee's disposal a large amount of information which has been of material assistance in the investigation; also to the various Hospital Boards throughout the Dominion who so willingly placed their Boardrooms at the disposal of the Committee.
Sir George Newman, the Chief Medical Officer of the Board of Education and the Ministry of Health, England, very courteously supplied the Committee with a valuable memorandum on the care of mental defectives in England and Wales, while the Secretary of State for the United States, through the good offices of the American Consul-General, Mr. Edwin N. Gunsaulus, kindly forwarded information supplied by the United States Public Health Service regarding the legislation and regulations in force in various States where sterilization for eugenical purposes has been legalized.
Information of great value and interest has also been received from Dr. E. S. Morris, Director of Health, Tasmania; from Dr. Helen MacMurchy, Department of Health, Ottawa; and from Dr. Eric Clarke, Toronto, Assistant Medical Director, Canadian National Conference for Mental Hygiene.
The Committee further wish to make special mention of the services rendered by the Secretary, Mr. J. W. Buchanan, whose work has been very heavy owing to the number of witnesses examined and the extent of ground covered in a comparatively short time. This would not have been possible but for the complete arrangements made by Mr. Buchanan, and the ability and energy which he showed generally in the discharge of his duties left nothing to be desired.
SECTION 2.--TWO DISTINCT QUESTIONS.
Before proceeding to the subject-matter of the Committee's investigations and the conclusions arrived at it is necessary to point out as clearly and emphatically as possible that the questions submitted to the Committee were entirely separate and distinct from each other. It is true that a certain proportion of mental defectives show their lack of self-control in regard to sex instincts and functions as in other respects. This is particularly the case with mentally defective girls, and constitutes one of the chief difficulties in dealing with them satisfactorily. Some of this class find their way into prison on account of sexual offences, but it is very far from correct to suppose that all feeble-minded persons are sexual offenders, or that all sexual offenders are mentally defective. On the contrary, among sexual offenders of the worst type, those convicted of unnatural offences, are occasionally found to be persons possessing intellectual and artistic powers above the average. There is something wrong in their mental, moral, and emotional balance, as will be pointed out in the proper place, but, as a rule, it is