to-day; middle-aged and elderly men
being the chief offenders of this class. In my opinion segregation for
life is the only course, and my years of experience among such a class
have convinced me of this, their case being absolutely hopeless when
this stage has been reached, and no cure is possible in such cases."

This pessimistic view, unfortunately, is fully confirmed by the records
of cases examined by the Committee. Long terms of imprisonment, though
combined with the lash, have proved quite ineffective as a deterrent,
even to the individual concerned. In some cases the offender within a
short time after his release has been detected in the same practices and
rearrested. Still less does such a punishment act as a deterrent to
other addicts, if for no other reason than that each individual
cherishes the conviction that he will not be found out.

Records of a number of illustrative cases are set out in the Appendix,
pages 31-33.

SECTION 4.--SUGGESTED REMEDIES.

As regards the infliction of corporal punishment which is often
advocated, Dr. Murray, Medical Officer to the Mount Eden Prison at
Auckland, who has had a good deal of experience with sexual offenders,
said he had seen a good many flogged, and he did not think it had any
effect as a deterrent. He added, "Nothing will deter men once they have
taken on that line. I think you will find in some cases where a person
has been addicted to those practices before marriage he will drift again
into the same course after a certain number of years. It seems a
perversion they have no control over, and after a certain number of
years it masters them."

The general opinion of those who have been in touch with this problem
for many years is well expressed in the following extract from a very
valuable report furnished to the Committee by Dr. F. S. Hay,
Inspector-General of Mental Hospitals, on the different questions coming
within the scope of the inquiry:--

"As a member of the Prisons Board I have had the matter of the sexual
offender brought under my notice and have come to some very definite
conclusions.

"I think that he should be brought to trial in the ordinary way, with
perhaps suppression of publication of names of the offender and victim.
If found guilty, he should be given an indeterminate sentence, and be
removed to a farm reformatory prison, where he would be brought under
skilled medical and lay observation, and his case studied in respect
to--_Mental