CRIMINAL REFORM.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1046, 8 February 1911, Page 4

CRIMINAL REFORM.

THE TOKAXUJ ESTABLISHMENT. "Tho Government are pushing on with the Tokanui reformatory;" said the Hon. Dr. I'indlay yesterday. Tho institution, which is near To Awamutu, is the outcome of tho new system of .criminal' refarm .adopted in New Zealand,' and full details of it were submitted to Parliament last session. The preparation of; the place could not be rusheu, added the At--torney-Geaei'al, because cartage and road formation were difficult undertakings. As ninety expedition as was reasonably good, however., was being shown, and "it waj hoped tho place would "be iu full swing this year. "'As the judges, I am glad to see, are-freely applying indeterminate sentences," Dr. Findlay continued, "tha first result .will- bo an increase in- th«f number of prisoners in our gaols and reformatories. That -will necessi- ■ tiito an extension of. the farm, and probably an extension also .of. tho tree-plant-ing stations. I have reason to believe, how.ever, that the., application of. tho indeterminate sentence is also acting as a' deterrent in itself. Figures I gave the other day iu regard to. the numbers in the gaols at present,, as compared with those fif'the same periods 'in previous years, can, I think, be best accounted for on that ground.". It was found, for, instance, in the States-in America, whera the same principlo was applied, that criminals left those States.