SICKNESS IN GAOL

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 887, 5 August 1910, Page 4

SICKNESS IN GAOL

■ y . HOW TO PREVENT SHAMMING. Not one half, the sickness occurs in the) Parramatta Gaol, near Sydney, since tho ' introduction of a new system of dealing with the sick, or those who say they are . sick. So says Mr. 1; Salek, who has just ,; returned from Australia, where he became greatly interested in the prison system of New South Wales. The gaoler iniorm'ed him that shamming to be sick was indulged iu to such an extent that the 6ick ~ ward was often lull of patients, who had a real good time. Now thev treat tho sick in their own cells. They are carefully looked after, there is electric light, and electric tells in each cell, and thf medical attendance is all that could 1m desired; but there is not a third of th< sickness that used to be when all the patients were accommodated in one open ward, and had the "sweet companionship" of their fellows to distract them whilst malingering. "While going through the Parramatta Gaol," said Mr. Salck, "I was taken into, the kitchen, and there saw tho rations.being carefully weighed out for each pri- : soner. T noticed one man standing by ; and apparently doing nothing, and I ' asked who he was. It was explained to me that caclr" section of prisoners . was allowed to appoint a man to watch tho •. ■', weighing out of the rations, so that no man could be treated unfairly. I was rather surprised, but none ■ the less pleased, to see that the authorities allowed such a concession, perfectly proper ' as it no doubt was."