This law consolidated other laws relating to Reformatories and Industrial Schools.

This law allowed the Governor to declare any ship, land, building or enclosure a reformatory or public industrial school and make regulations for its conduct, management and supervision. Managers of any industrial training establishment where children were clothed, fed, lodged and taught, could apply to the Minister (Colonial Secretary) to review the establishment with a view to becoming a private industrial school under this law.

Reformatory Schools

• Persons under 16 years of age convicted of an offence punishable by more than 14 days imprisonment could be sent to reformatory school for no less than 12 months and no more than five years (in addition to their sentence).
• The superintendent of prison in which the offender had served his sentence was to forward the offender to the reformatory school.

Industrial Schools

• Allowed the Governor to order any child sent to an industrial school to be discharged at any time and stipulated that children should not be detained past the age of 18.
• The Minister could direct that any male child under the age of six be placed in a female industrial school. At the age of seven boys would be moved to a male industrial school.
• The father (or the mother, if father was is dead) of any child sent to a reformatory or industrial school could be summoned to show just cause as to why they should not pay a sum of up to 10 shillings weekly for the maintenance of their child.
• Superintendents of industrial schools could indenture children out as apprentices. Justices could order that the child be returned to the industrial school if superintendents reported that those who had indentured the child were not fit employers