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10 How. J. 1 (1958-1961)

handle is hein.journals/hjcj10 and id is 1 raw text is: NOTES OF THE YEAR The Wolfenden Report It is eight months now that the Wolfenden Report was published, and still there has been no debate on it in the Commons. When it does come, it is unlikely that the Government would be prepared to implement the main iecommendation about homosexual behaviour between adults in private. It must be hoped, however, that they would at least give facilities for a Private Members' Bill. In the meaintime, the task of educating public opinion must go on. The degree of misunderstanding and misconception which still exists on this subject is disconcerting. Fortunately, there have recently been a number of useful books which may help to put the matter into proper perspective. Amongst them, Dr. Eustace Chesser's Live and Let Live is particularly helpful. There is every reason for changing the law, and none against it that will stand up to careful, honest and dispassionate examination. It is inconceivable that, with all the evidence before it, Parliament should hesitate to act, for fear of the possible reaction of those whose opinions appear to be based either on ignorance or on plain prejudice. Ultimately, this is a question of whether the seat of Government is at Westminster or at Bournemouth East. As regards the recommendations about prostitution, it may well be that the raising of the maximum fines for solicitation ought to be looked at within the wider context of adjusting the money-value of fines in general. In any case, too steep an increase in fines for this offence could have some very undesirable results, the danger of which the Wolfenden Committee may have under-estimated. A system of call-girls does not simply mean making prostitution less obtrusive. It does mean close and more careful organisation of the girls, and this in turn could lead to the emergence of large-scale professional vice racketeers on the American model-a prospect which is peculiarly unpleasing. Though there are valid reasons for some increase in fines for solicitation, the proposal to send prostitutes to prison is much more doubtful, partly for the reason already mentioned, and partly because a large number of prostitutes would certainly make rehabilitative efforts with the other prisoners more difficult without necessarily altering the set intention of prostitutes to continue their way of life. It may merely make them more ready to accept protection and to be organised by professional gangsters. It is the young girl who is just drifting into prostitution on whom much rehabilitative effort should be expended, and on this point, the Wolfenden Report may have been much too pessimistic. Institute of Criminology . The Home Secretary has now expressed his interest in the creation of an Institute of Criminology. The next step would seem to be to consider what sort of a body it should be, and what practical steps might be taken to set it up. So far, there has been a good deal of emphasis, in criminological research in this country, into the selection of penal methods, and into the results which 1

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