"FALLEN BRETHREN."

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1464, 12 June 1912, Page 7

"FALLEN BRETHREN."

PRISONERS' AID SOCIETYCRIME AND PUNISHMENT. AND TJKFOiar IUHAS. Abont fifty people nttoncletl a mccling hold under (lie auspices of the Di.-Khargod Prisoners' Aid Society, in (ho Syduey SlTi'ct Schoolroom, lust night. Hi's K\ccllcncy Urn Ciovenior, I/>nl Islington, presided. His Excellency said ho was ghul to be able to prcMilK, ami (hereby to identify iiniH'lt will! (he work of Mm society ■I lie object of tins meeting was lo extend tho of the society liy increasing public interest in its working. "\\halever might be his oll'ouce, the discharged prisoner, as lie loft the pri.-on gate*, wu, an object for pity. He was repudiated l>y his former friends, and lie was distrusted or suspected by prospective employers. He gazed out upon n world which held no future for him. At this critical stage the society undertook to befriend him; it found for him according to his requirements, food, lodging, or clothing. But perhaps most important of all, tho society sought to furnish him v,-ith respectable employment, and to give him a fresh start in life. All this tho society liad done, with no small amount of success, with somewhat slender resources. This work that was being dono was humane in the truest sense of the word, and it should appeal (o a much larger group of people than it did.

The New Prison System, | Howover, it was not merely tho fontiracntal siilo of this service that was of supremo importance. It was really a work which delved .very deep into the standard of character "of tho whole community. Hero, as in other countries, there hurt of rocont yours been grout changes in the prison system, and tho.=o changes rendered the saciety of moro olToct. Imprisonihent wns now no longer rr-Kimled as mere punishment, but was -loolced upon as a menus to educate and reform the convict. Jlost oncouraKinj results had followed tliis ehaiißC of prison system wherever it had been tried. In England this altered treatment had given rif-.o to a decrease in the recurrency oS offence;. _ But this decrease in recurroncy of offences' could only be secured with tho aid of such an organisation as the Discharged Prisoners' Aid Society. Tho prisoners must bo mado to see that tho disciplinary educational work done for him in (he prison was to. be <if some benefit in his ordinary life. New Zealand, a. young country with a prowing population, ooiild ill afford to allow tho collection of an increasing residuum of the'derelict olnss. Hd was'glad publicly to associate himself with the valuable work being dono by the society, and he hoped, tho result of the meeting would be increased interest in the society's avowed objects-. (Applause.) The Hon. ,T. A. Hanan, Minister for Justice, hoped that his Excellency's remarks would have the effect of extending Hie scope of the society's work. In New Zealand valuable work had been dono to erisuro that men should leave our gaols better men than they went in. No man was more deserving of pity than the man who entered prison walls. Therefore, after lie wag released, it was well to show him that there were free citizens willing to allow him (o win his way in tho world again. Recently ho, as .Minister, had been abk to effect certain improvements in our prison system. Ho i had called a conference! of gaolers together, and t\io result of that conference would bo amended regulations which ho I hoped would be beneficial. He hud collected information as to the career of industrial schoolboys who had beconio prisoners in our gaols. .Some good might be donO; if by thii collection of this information, we could arrest young people on a career that led downwards. Punishment, Not Revenge, Sir .John Findlay, the next speaker, outlined the genesis nnd growth of tho modern ideas of crime and the treatment, of criminals—how in civilised England of the middle of last century the prevailing idea of punishment was one of revenge. And death, being tlio readiest penalty, was the one most frequently enforced. Wβ could nat slough our prejudices as a tree shed itsMjark, but slowly a new spirit was being manifested in tho attitude "of society towards an offender against society's laws. Of course society must punish offenders, and punishment must be as severe as need bo. However, it appeared from statistics available in England that one-third of the prisoners convicted of serious crimes were men who had been previously convicted six times, and sentenced. The ond of all research must be Hint crime must be treated very much in insanity was fronted—must be treated scientifically. In spite of everything, prison reform had few friends in thi<i country. The prisoners had no friends. Ifo was especially elsid that his Excellency had identified himself with the movement, which sought to show to nien that they hnd a duty to do by their fallen brethren". The speaker went on to explain briefly his classification scheme for prisoners, adil.ing that no scheme of classification could como into effect until the old out-of-date gaols could be replaced by newer suitable buildings. Ho asked for support for the society, which was doing most valuable work. (Applause.)

• Sir Robert .Stout, Chief .T\i=iice. and president of the society, snid that in his opinion prisoners and criminals must bo treated almost a* menttil detectives. Somehow they lacked the gift of beinc; able to lookbefore and after, otherwise they would not have got into trouble. To show that prisoners were not ungrateful for Might aids and services, he mentioned that prisoners, poor men all of them, bad leturned ps much a? ,ElO in a year of small sums advanced to them. It would never be possible, he thought, to eliminate the criminal, who was scarcely out of gaol before' ho eomnfltted a new offence and si\' in again. Rut.ho'thought that even amusements, as well as food and clothing. ou»ht to be provided for such men in gaol, even if they had to reside ontsido Hie citizen area. On the invitation of Sir Robert Stout the audience accorded a hearty vote of thnnks to his Excellency for presidium