Detail of Borstal Association report

It should be remembered that these lads have as a rule never made a proper start in life. Few of them have reached a respectable standard at school, which suggests, and on enquiry reveals a long series of stolen holidays often spent on mischievous or criminal expeditions.

Emerging at 14 years of age from even the nominal control of school, they have seldom settled to any work at all, and hardly ever to work which they wished or were able to retain for any length of time. Three months is a long time to be at one job, and the gaps between jobs have been steps on their downward course. Short sentences have followed in a long, useless series, until their grim record, or the sympathy of an exceptional court, has procured for them a sentence of such length that it is possible to train them under the Borstal scheme of reformation.

It is not too much to say that twelve months under that treatment, with its hard work, its regular hours and simple food, have wrought wonders with most of these lads.

They were mostly thieves, - only nine of the last eighty were convicted of crimes other than theft or housebreaking, - and they went into prison shiftless, idle, and dangerous. They came out so altered, morally and physically, that, given a chance of it, more than half of them were willing and able to engage in regular honest employment.

To give them that chance is the business of this Association.