PRISONERS AS TOURISTS

Chronicle (Levin), 5 June 1946, Page 8

PRISONERS AS TOURISTS

LAW NEBDb AMxiNDlNG, SAYS JUDGE WELLINGTON, June 4. Oriticisni of the labour and. expense involved in transporting prisoners toi various parts of tiie country for sen- j tence on charges whereto they had, pieaded guilty, after they had already j been sentenced for other otfences, was' made in the Supreme Court today by : .Mr. Justice Fair, who said that if the! law were defective, a solution would, be ofi'ered by a simple amendment. He | asked that representations be made to the Crown Law Office and added that the Minister of Justice miglit consider the matter. His Honour said he thought the Cqurt should draw atteution to situatious disclosed by the depositions and records I of tlie two men upon whom sentencej had just been passed.. Oue had.appear-j ed for senteuce in Christchurch for tliree serious oifences and tlien had( been transferred to Wellington for;, senteuce and, according to the reeord, i was due to be sentenced at Dunedin for bigamy and soiue other ofL'ence. j His Honour said oue would think there would be some meaus of avoiding criniinals being sent all over the Doininion! to receive senteuce. If the Jaw were | defective and they could not be sen- i tenced in one plaee on depositions ob- 1 tained in another, or if there were some j (lefect in the law that required that j travelling about under escort, partieu- j larly at present when travel accomnio- 1 dation was taxed, it seemed wortliy of consideration whether fhe law should i not be amended. Another man, said his ; Honour, had been sentenced in Auck- 1 land to two years' Borstal detention which nieant he would be on probationary licence for 12 months following that tenu, and he had then been sent to Wellington for senteuce. Where a 1 man had pieaded guilty aiul been sen ! tenced to a substantial term of im-i prisonment, a simple amendment to the law would enable depositions and liis , admissions. to be taken and all expense I and unnecossary labour in transferring | prisoners from one place to another! could be prevented.