CO885(2-3) — Page 590

CO882 & CO885 Colonial Office Confidential Prints 理藩院機密印刊 All

42

IV.-INDICTMENTS AND INFORMATIONS IN THE SUPERIOR COURTS (including Courts analogous to the Courts of Quarter Session in England, i.e., District Courts, &c.).

State how the Cases

Tried in the

Superior Courts Ended.

Includes Attempts and Conspiracies to commit the several

Total.

Murder, other than Wife and Child Murder. Manalaughter.

Attempt at Murder.

Murder of Wife, Reputed Wife,

or Concubine.

Child Murder.

Concealment of Birth.

Abortion.

co es❘ Rape.

Judgment for the Crown.

93

Judgment for the prisoner 82 Prisoner found insane

Case fell through for want

of prosecution, inclu-

ding cases where a Bill

was thrown out by Grand Jury..

(No Grand Jury.)

:::

-.--

:::

:::

V. COMPARATIVE TABLE.

Offences.

Unnatural Crimes.

* 15 ය

Other Offences against the Person.

Malicious Injuries to Property.

Robbery with Violence.

::. Prædial Larceny.

Other Offences against Property.

Miscellaneous Offences.

18

:

11

30

COMPARATIVE Table showing the Number of Offences, Apprehensions, Convictions, and Acquittals, for the last Four Years.

1870.

43

prevalence of crime in civil communities. It is difficult to understand how Govern- ments of intelligent and conscientious men having adequate funds at their disposal can neglect, year after year, the great and pressing business of alating crime by those measures of mixed reformation and due severity which lie ready at their hand.

3. Attention is drawn to the fact by Mr. Bushe that in the current year the new rules agreed upon in correspondence between Governor Longden and my predecessor came into force. I trust that these rules, carefully framed as they were upon advice with persons of experience, will be found to add to the efficiency of the prison system of the Colony. But, in the meantime, there are measures urgently demanded by the public welfare which no mere amendment of prison rules can effect.

4. Trinidad, with an average prison population of 350, has only accommodation on the separate system for about 140; thus 190, or more than half the prisoners, are subjected to the corrupting and hardening effects of close association.

5. Another point, which is of much importance in every community, and of especial importance in Trinidad, with its mixed and turbulent population, is to save the juvenile criminal population from the evil association of disreputable friends and relatives, and train them in reformatories and industrial establishments to useful lives. This object seemed almost attained by the passing of an Ordinance on the subject during the administration of Mr. Longden; but from Captain Fraser's Report, it now appears that the whole question has been indefinitely postponed, owing to a difficulty about the site of a reformatory. In the meantime, it should be borne in mind that a generation of criminals is passing from the stage in which they can be dealt with by the system of prevention into one where they can only be dealt with by the much less hopeful one of repression.

6. With regard to the details of Captain Fraser's Report, I have to observe, with reference to his remarks on escapes at page 2, that I agree with him that warders in charge of working parties should be armed. Care should be taken only to trust armis to trustworthy warders; but the number of escapes reported as successfully effected calls for vigorous measures of represssion.

7. With regard to Captain Fraser's observations on the subject of the employment of women at page 3, I have to observe that I should not object to the employment of women at oakum picking.

The number of offences reported to the police

The number of persons apprehended by the police or sum-

moned before the magistrates

The number of summary convictions→→→

1. For offences against the person

2. For prædial larceny

3. For offences against property other than prædial

larceny

4. For other offences

The number of convictions in the Superior Courts-

1. For offences against the person

::

3. For offences against property other than prædial

2. For prædial larceny

larceny

4. For other offences

The number of persons acquitted-

1. In the Inferior Courts ..

2. In the Superior Courts..

No. 7.

1871.

1872.

1873.

8,817

4,002

8,945

11,836

12,937

12,534

1,299

1,611

1,279

958

68

76

61

74

327

401

447

317

2,493

3,416

4,082

3,877

47

37

67

58

18

15

17

21

2

10

23

14

3,011

14

4,356 60

4,474 35

3,401

82

(No. 179.) Sir,

The Earl of Carnarvon to Governor Irving, C.M.G.

Downing Street, November 12, 1874.

I HAVE had under my consideration Mr. Bushe's despatch No. 167 of the 22nd of July, forwarding the Reports relating to crime and prison discipline in Trinidad for 1873.

2. While I cannot but share with the Local Government the satisfaction which is expressed at the fact that, in spite of an increase of the population by infusions of disorderly elements from other countries, crime is not proportionally on the increase, I view with regret the undoubted prevalence of crime, and that regret is increased when I observe that, notwithstanding the effects which have been made for ten years past by those who have filled the office which I have now the honour to hold, those means are neglected which experience has demonstrated to be most conducive to abate the

I have, &c.

(Signed)

CARNARVON.

PUBL

RECORD OFFICE

ETULTI

Reference -

C.O.885

3PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON

ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC- COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH-NOT TO

f

Page 590Page 591

Comments

Approved members can add comments, bookmarks, and private notes.

No comments yet.

Private Research Note

Private notes are available after approval.