Appendix L.
REPORT OF THE SUPERINTENDENT OF PRISONS FOR THE YEAR 1937.
The number of prisoners received into prison during the year, and the corresponding number for 1936 were as follows:-
Convicted by Ordinary Courts Debtors On remand, or in default of finding surety. Total 1936. 14,801 50 1,255 16,106 1937. 15,711 49 1,328 17,0882. The percentage of convicted prisoners admitted to prison with previous convictions recorded against them was 21.6 as compared with 15.9 for the previous year.
3. 894 prisoners were convicted by Police Courts in the New Territories against 969 for the previous year.
4. The following table shows the number of convicts in custody on the 31st December for the past ten years, and the percentage of the total number of prisoners in custody to the estimated population of Hong Kong.
Year. Estimated population Number of convicts. Percentage of population. Daily average number of prisoners. Percentage of population. 1928 1,071 352 .033 1,075,690* .100 1929 1,075,690* 331 .031 1,075 .100 1930 1,143,510* 256 .022 1,175 .103 1931 849,751† 202 .024 1,102 .130 1932 900,796 173 .019 1,114 .124 1933 922,643 162 .018 1,472 .160 1934 944,492 157 .017 .170 V.G. 839 L.C.K. 593 F.P. 178 1935 966,341 217 .022 V.G. 980 L.C.K. 642 F.P. 174 .186 ¡V.G. 1,127 1936 988,190 297 .03 H.K.P.1.441 V.G. 794 .194 JL.C.K. 600 F.P. 190 .247 1937 1,010,039 333 .033 L.C.K. 27 F.P. 231* Probably overestimated.
+ Census of 1931.