The Juvenile Offenders’ Act (No.951) transferred responsibility for convicted juveniles from the Department of Industrial and Reformatory Schools to a Department for Reformatory Schools. This Act allowed for the establishment of Probationary Schools, described by the Department’s Secretary as ‘intermediate between the reformatory and the foster-home’. The Secretary of the Department was required to present an Annual Report to Parliament under the new legislation.
The long title of the Act is ‘An Act to amend the Law relating to Juvenile Offenders and for other purposes’. It was assented to on 17 December 1887 and commenced on 1 January 1888. This Act was repealed and replaced by sections 314 to 369 of the Crimes Act 1890 ( No. 1079.)
This Act was amended by Act No. 216, No. 495, No. 626 and No. 693.