Page:Statesman's Year-Book 1899 American Edition.djvu/1171

 JUSTICE AND CRIME — PAUPERISM

81 :^

Justice and Crime.

Justice is administered by the High Court of the Netherlands (Court of Cassation), by 5 courts of justice (Courts of Appeal), by 23 district tribunals, and by 106 cantonal courts ; trial by jury is unknown in Holland. All Judges are appointed for life by the King (the Judges of the High Court from a list prepared by the Second Chamber). They can be removed only by a decision of the High Court.

The number ot"i)enal sentences pronounced was :

By the Cantonal Courts

District Tribunals

Courts of Justice

High Court

1885 1891 1893 1895 1897

67,583 69,104 75,536 80,272 95,978

15,079 15,750 19,186 18,743 15,889

497 807 931 910

861

230

252 1

283

270

317

The number of persons

convicted was :—

1888 1 1894 1895 1896 1897

By the Cantonal Courts

1 By the District Tribunals

Male

Female

Male

Female

64,513 70,260 75,206 58,975 81,006

7,008 7,595 8,482 6,598 9,375

14,931 15,545 15,081 13,964 14,483

1,952 1,710 1,677 1,628 1,603

The number of prisons in 1897 was 32, of houses of detention 44. number of inmates in the prisons at the end of 1897 was 2,185 males and 155 females; in the houses of detention, 715 males and 39 females. There are also 3 State-work-establishments specially for drunkards, beggars and vagabonds. The number of inmates was, at the end of 1897, 3,703. Children under 16 years placed in the 3 State reformatories numbered in 1897 573 boys and 102 girls. There are both State and communal police. The State police consists of tield-constables and cavalry. The former are spread over the country, the latter guard the frontiers (eastern and southern). The cavalry police (marechausse) numbers about 19 officers and 778 men. There are about 800— appointed and paid by the Government — field-constables, divided into numerous brigades. Besides each commune has its own field-constables or police force.

Pauperism.

The relief of the poor is largely efi'ected by the religious societies and organised private charity. The State does not interfere, except when no relief is to be obtained from private charity ; in that case the pauper must be supported by the commune where he is living. The communes grant small subsidies to the private societies ; there is no poor rate in the Netherlands. Mendicity and vagabondage are treated as a crime, and persons so convicted can be placed in a State-work establishment. Workhouses for the poor are found in very few communes.

The number of poor relieved, either temporarily or continuously, during the year 1896 was 236,396 or 4-87 per cent, of the total population. The per- centage for 10 years has been :— 1887, 513 ; 1888,5-12 ; 1889, 5 08 ; 1890, 5-34 ; 1891, 4-38 ; 1892, 5-43 ; 1893, 5-19 ; 1894, 525 ; 1895, 499.