RELEASE OF PRISONERS.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 900, 20 August 1910, Page 6

RELEASE OF PRISONERS.

' .■'. ' ■ » '■: ; V . - ■ ' REV.' E. C. BUDD REPLIES TO .. ; • • MINISTER. Speaking to an Auckland "Herald" representative ' with. ' reference to tho comments ' by tho Hon. Dr. Findlay, Minister for J uslicf, on his remarks 1 concerning the release of prisoners, Mil- Rev. E. 0. -Uudcl, local gaol' chaplain,, said: "Courtesy demands ,a reply to the Minister for Justice. I had.no intention , ui: reflecting upon tho judges .of tho Supreme Court, and if my state! ment leaves .that construction, I, hasten to apologise. Aty remarks about the release of prisoners were! intended td appiy to prisoners generally, and not netossarily to. habitual criminals. At .the. same time,, the Minister is not correct in saying that only three persons who have received the indeterminate sentence havo been released. Those who. take an interest in theso matters," proceeded Mr. Budd, "were surprised to see in the same 'Herald' \ containing Dr. Fmdlay's statement, the report of. a case iir which an unfortunate man brought before the judge unci - declared to be an habitual criminal had been declared an. habitual criminal 18 months ago. 1 make no cuiumeufon tho case, .it is not for mo to en , on,tho side of severity; e\;en habitual criminals are dapable of reformation. In theory, all petitions from prisoners (or on their behalf) for remission of sentence, go to the'judge who passed the sentence, and are decided upon by him. But they dp not always reach him. At least, they have not always reached him in tho past, even when a' couple .of years have been struck off the sentence. It is common knowledge; and common talk, amuug prison officers .here that a number, of men have received large remissions lately, who arc not first offenders, and whose prison record was not even a good onu, whilst others, quite well-behavd men, have been refused the same .pm-iloge. ■ Why is , this? My iomarks autmt thu failure, of the New Plymouth reformatory prison are ignored by the Minister, for the simple reason that they are unanswerable. The : new Crimes Amendment Act lies, before me,-and I hope to deal with it shortly, as it has a >direct bear-, ing upon the matter in question. Suflice it to say,that in the Bill the indeterminate sentence for first offenders has been dropped, and a maximum reformatory detention of three or ten yedrs established. For this I contended in my second article on, prison reform, and it" has .been conceded by the Minister and his advisers."