FOR AND AGAINST FLOGGING
[To the Editor of THE SPECTATOR] Sut,—You criticise Sir Reginald Coventry for his remarks— but have you considered the aspects ? There appear to be three classes of persons who must be reviewed : r. Those whose willingness to commit the crime is frustrated by the possible consequences.. 2. Those who commit, suffer and do not repeat. 3. Those who suffer and repeat. Only 2 and 3 can be ascertained by tabulation over a period of, years, and the figures would be a valuable help to deciding whether the punishment in question could be considered deterrent. Doubtless these figures are readily available to any enquirer, and it would seem that High Court Judges may, after all, be as well equipped as prison governors to form conclusions in respect of them. The prison officials are, of course, in a better position to interrogate their prisoners. I have no information about this or of the value of such depositions if made. Voluntary statements by old lags may have a value—you had one not long ago which favoured flogging, or rather emphasised the deterrent value of it.—Yours faithfully, JASPER MOON. White Rock, Llanymynech, Montgomery.
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