accused that they appeal to the Attorney-General to have sentences revoked. One old character last year was positively indignant about being picked up for drunkenness in a public place. “I’m not guilty, your honor, be- cause I can’t remember anything,” he told the magistrate. That was taken as a plea of not guilty. But no wonder he couldn't remember anything! The officer who had brought the accused in stated he’d found an empty wine bottle and a half-full one of rubbing alcky in the man’s coat pockets. “Yes, accused had been on his feet at the time—but only because he had his arms wrapped around a lamp standard,” the constable said. Accused got 20 days. Careless and dangerous driving (mostly the former) took up most of the daily court time. During the course of a month a wide range of charges brought hundreds of citizens to court on minor and major charges. Its a rough-tough beat — but apparently produces the copy the reader likes to get in on. * * IT PAYS TO ADVERTISE IN THE SHOULDER STRAP Modern construction demands the liberal use of concrete. It’s the foundation of all good building projects everywhere. “Elk Brand’ cement has proved its merit for many years and is a B.C. Product. * British Columbia Cement Co. Ltd. 500 Fort Street Victoria, B.C. * CONCRETE FOR PERMANENCE The Original ROGERS’ CHOCOLATES Phone G-7021 913 Government St. VICTORIA, B.C. DOWELL'S Cartage & Storage Co., Ltd. BONDED CARRIERS Moving - Shipping - Packing - Storage LOW INSURANCE RATES 1119 Wharf St. G-7191 Victoria, B.C. TWENTY-FIFTH EDITION Penologists’ Prediction Piffle Says * Prison Psychological Prognoses Based on Group Patterns Called Useless, Unfair. COULD IT BE POSSIBLE that penologists are all wrong in their psychological prognoses of prisoners, based on questioning and information obtained from investigating agents? In the opinion of convicts as ex- pressed in the “Atlantian,” published in Atlanta Prison, the psychologists’ reports on individual criminal be- haviour problems are “if not all wet, very damp.” The “Atlantian” is one of a number of prison papers published in the United States to give convicts an opportunity for self-expression and to provide them with a medium for dis- cussion of public problems. The subject of penologists’ reports is discussed frankly and with some bitterness by one capable convict- writer who claims also to be express- ing the views of most of them in the penitentiary. Methods used by the penologists in obtaining information on which to base their findings are scathingly criticized. “Little gems of information written about us in this way,” is the way the writer satirically refers to the reports. He writes of “information elicited from us by listlessly bored interroga- tors” and “hearsay evidence which a Mississippi Justice of the Peace would properly relegate to the cuspidor.” The writer charges that information is obtained from well-meaning friends and families or ill-meaning friends and families as well as information which is not information at all but supposition, conjecture, prejudice, intolerance and suspicion. “Most of us prisoners know,” says the writer, “that for the most part this ‘fact material’ is piffle.” “We are all individuals,” the con- vict-writer proceeds, “and psycho- logical prognoses are based on pat- terns of what groups have done with similar characteristics. “After all, who can predict what we ‘criminals’ will do, even though they should accomplish the impossible of looking into our minds. Yet penologists do not hesitate to take ‘this and that’ and from it say we are going to do ‘so and so,’ mostly to the detriment of society, too.” The writer goes on to charge the penologists’ reports lack _ scientific study and evaluation and repeats the assertion they are based for the most part on piffle. Writer * “Every day,” whe says, we see criminals behave very differently from penological forecasts.” Because of the way the information is gathered and the conclusions reached “they should be destroyed, rather than allowed to live in files and haunt us forever,” he says. When “criminal behaviour is not in line with psychological prognoses the penologists’ predictions should be destroyed,” he argues. He concludes with a striking state- ment: “Do we mean also that men who conduct themselves as gentlemen, such as in our prison recreational activities, can leave prison at release and become ‘gentlemen’ in society, no matter what penologists say? Of course! Over three-fourths of them do.” * * JUS-RITE PHOTOS LTD. Photo Supplies - Film Finishing Portraits—Home or Studio Phone G-1852 714 Yates St. Victoria, B.C. MORLEY CO., LTD. Importers and Exporters * 525 Fisgard St. Victoria, B.C. Cathay Apartment Hotel C. J. KIDD, Manager Centrally Located HOTEL and APARTMENT ACCOMMODATION All Rooms with Bath and Showers 855 Douglas St. Victoria, B.C. Phone E-1622 “Big or Teeny — Just Call Heaney” PHONE B-4281 Heaney Cartage & Storage Ltd. VICTORIA Retreading VICTORIA TIRE LTD. Government at Herald E9111 Goodyear Tires B6184 Page Thirty-three