What England should Do with her Convicts. By W. M.
Wilkinson (T. J. Allman).—Prison Discipline. By the Earl of Carnarvon. (John Murray.)—Mr. Wilkinson's theory is that the "Probation system," which he describes as identical in principle with the " ticket- of-leave
system," was the main cause of the dislike of the Australians to trans- portation. Now he thinks they could not be induced to receive convicts, but sees no reason why they should be allowed to prevent Western Australia from doing so. No one is to be transported, however, but "first offenders," for comparatively slight crimes, and these are to be assigned to private service immediately on their arrival for a definite period, after which they are to be allowed to hire themselves for wages. The chief objection to this is the danger that people would commit small thefts in order to be transported. The great difficulty, however, is how to dispose of the convict class, and here Mr. Wilkinson has nothing new to propose. He would make every convict serve his full sentence, every reconviction double the former sentence, and give no food but bread and water. But he would give a full day's pay for a full day's work, and allow a certain portion to be spent on food, eat. For ourselves, we prefer Lord Carnarvon's plan. Sufficient severity may be shown without depriving the most hardened criminal of all hope. Lord Carnarvon does not, indeed, deal with the ticket of-leave-system, which is not a part of "prison discipline," but he remarks that "the obvious and principal cause of its failure in England is due to the en- tire and ostentatious absence of supervision." A recent division in the House of Commons gives ground for hope that this objection to it will not exist much longer.
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