its empire a sufficiency of suitable land, to which the best of them
may be transplanted, and on which they may be trained for useful service
and continuous work?

Is it not possible to develop the family system for them, and secure
a sufficient number of house fathers and mothers to care for them in a
domestic way, leaving their physical and industrial training to others?
Very few know these young fellows better than myself, and I am bold
enough to say that under such conditions the majority of them would
prove useful men.

Surely a plan of this description would be infinitely better than
continued imprisonments for miserable offences, and much less expensive,
too!

I am very anxious to emphasise this point. The extent of our prison
population depends upon the treatment these young men receive at the
hands of the State.

So long as the present treatment prevails, so long will the State be
assured of a permanent prison population.

But the evil does not end with the continuance and expense of prison.
The army of the unfit is perpetually increased by this procedure.
Very few of these young men--I think I may say with safety, none
of them--after three or four convictions become settled and decent
citizens; for they cannot if they would, there is no opportunity. They
would not if they could, for the desire is no longer existent.

We have already preventive detention for older persons, who, having
been four times convicted of serious crime, are proved to be "habitual
criminals." But hopeless as the older criminals are, the country is
quite willing to adopt such measures and bear such expense as may be
thought requisite for the purpose of detaining, and perchance reforming
them.

But the young men for whom I now plead are a hundred times more numerous
and a hundred times more hopeful than the old habitual criminals, whose
position excites so much attention. We must have an oversea colony for
these young men, and an Act of Parliament for the "preventive detention"
of young offenders who are repeatedly convicted.

A third conviction should ensure every homeless offender the certainty
of committal to the colony. This would stop for ever the senseless short
imprisonment system, for we could keep them free of prison till their
third conviction, when they should only be detained pending arrangement
for their emigration.

The more I think upon this matter the more firmly I am convinced that
nothing less will prevail. Th