CHAPTER   X

THE    BETTER   WAY

The  oflfender  who  has  become  reckless — If  not  killed  they  must  be
kept — The  failure  of  the  institution — Boarding  out— At  present
they  are  boarded  out  on  liberation,  but  without  supervision — ■
Guardians  may  be  found  when  they  are  sought  for — The  result
of  boarding  out  children — The  insane  boarded  out — Uncon-
ditional liberation  has  failed — Conditional  liberation  Avith  suit-
able provision  has  not  been  tried — No  system  of  dealing  with
men,  but  only  a  method — No  necessity  for  the  formation  of  the
habitual  offender — The  one  pi'inciple  in  penology.
IF  our  courts  of  first  instance  were  places  where
more  exhaustive  enquiries  took  place  and
greater  consideration  were  given  to  the  needs
of  the  cases  coming  before  them  ;  if  the  aged  and
destitute  were  cared  for  and  prevented  from  offending  ;
if  minor  offenders  were  either  liberated  on  their  own
promise  of  good  behaviour  or  that  of  their  friends  ;
if  people  were  put  on  probation  under  conditions  that
gave  them  a  favourable  chance  of  conforming  to  the
laws  ;  there  would  still  be  a  number  to  whom  such
treatment  could  not  be  appUed.
There  are  some  people  who  are  not  fit  to  be  at
liberty.  They  are  so  reckless  of  their  own  interests
and  the  interests  of  others  that,  when  uncontrolled,
they  become  a  danger.  Some  of  them  are  insane,
and  the  lunacy  authority  should  attend  to  them.
