Although over two years have elapsed since the cessation of hostilities, during which time several million men have returned to civil life, and although during that time there has been much industrial unrest, and though certain modifications have been allowed on the severe restrictions placed upon the sale of intoxicating liquor, referred to above, the ordinary prison population is still 36 per cent. below that at the time of the outbreak of war, viz:—
| Number in Custody on | Local Prisons | Convict Prisons | Preventive Detention Prisons | Borstal Institutions |
| 4th Aug. 1914 | 13,580 | 2,601 | 247 | 925 |
| 1st March 1921 | 8,535 | 1,305 | 73 | 1213 |
The elimination of many thousands of petty offenders from the prison population, due to the causes enumerated above, has had the effect of reducing enormously the volume of recidivism to be found in Local Prisons at the present time, though the proportion who had been previously convicted remains about the same as formerly. Thus, the total with more than three previous convictions who were committed during the first three months of 1920, as compared with a similar period in 1914, shows a decrease of no less than 73 per cent. in the case of males and 66 per cent. in the case of females. The actual figures are as follows:—
| Receptions on conviction during the first three months of | ||||
| 1914. | 1920. | |||
| M. | F. | M. | F. | |
| Number received | ||||
| with 1-3 previous convictions | 6,533 | 1,772 | 2,132 | 685 |
| " 4-5 " " | 1,704 | 845 | 397 | 189 |
| " 6-10 " " | 2,490 | 832 | 513 | 226 |
| " 11-20 " " | 2,243 | 816 | 475 | 257 |
| " over 20" " | 1,866 | 1,476 | 453 | 583 |
As regards the population in Convict Prisons, the great bulk of whom are classified as Recidivist, only about 700 are so classified at the present time, as compared with 2,000 at the beginning of the present century; while the supply of the Juvenile-Adult sentenced to penal servitude has almost ceased: in 1901 there were 200 lads 16-21 serving sentences of penal servitude—to-day there are 9 only.
An examination of statistics for the years following the conclusion of the Wars of the previous century shows that any increase which then took place was largely attributable to industrial depression, and that, on the revival of trade, they fell to their normal level. If, at the present time, there is a reversion to the former state of things—unrestricted sale of intoxicating liquor, or should recurring cycles of acute trade depression result in wide-spread unemployment and poverty,—it may be expected that the Prisons of the country will once again be occupied with thousands of tramps and vagrants, and petty offenders committed for short periods, and that the provisions of the Criminal Justice Administration Act as to checking committals in default of payment of fine will be largely nullified. If, on the other hand, a social system can be devised and maintained which can facilitate the means of employment, while, at the same time, maintaining sobriety at its present level, there would incidentally be found in such measures the solution of the penal problem.