PRISONS' CONTROL

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1512, 7 August 1912, Page 7

PRISONS' CONTROL

INS.PECTOR.GENERAL'S REPORT, REDUCTION IN CRIME. , . CLOSER INSPECTION ADVOCATED Tho annual report on the Prison* Branch ol the Department of Justice was presented lo Parliament yesterday afternoon. . i - PKvls'^) 01 ' 1 ,? f « tbo » lns P ector -G«nernl of 7n. X ( /• *■" Hn - v)sho,vs fnt the total ' tan,!' ? °' \™ S 919 {m mules all(l 87 ta a j«); on ,) annary 1, mi, tlio number •; ' ornate . ()n December 81,1911, the num. mni wl , furtll P r ''""inislied to 873 (812 mate and 01 females). Ti.e daily averWales (99.08, females G1.18). r Habitual criminals numbered 19 on "—~ January 1, mo (15 nlake nml t fcm^,» creased lo SS (26 males and 2 females), and ■' ? n^ ]KT , ' J1 il ,I,ul f»rthcr increased lo 41 (S3 males and 2 females). . iiiero were no prisoners under reformn- -. Ml «7 Hp , (o tho ginning of ondVL^leP' 5 "' U,iß C]m (8 ° mnlfie Dr. Uay points out that thc Crimes An endment Act camo into operation in ' ••HI, and introduced a new element, that 01 •prisoners undergoing reformative treatniciit, wJnch m a large measure destroye \t Clio comparison -iu detail of the year uu™,.rev!r}r W! 1,, those of Veviouf j ears. j.u 0 n,i le additie-nal habitual criminals,, had they been treated as ordinary prisoners, would probably havo been w }pV"B, lo , n 8 hard-labour sentences. the. following table shows tho number , of prisoners sentenced iu 1910 and 1011:- ' l'riso'norsreceived. , .. . . 1910. ■'• -1911 ■-. sentenced ToSimple imprisonment 51 ' 57 •hard labour (under three months) . SMi 3059 , ilavd labour (three months and under twelve) GOl 508 ' ' Hard labour (one year and dSS? ..::::::::::::::::::: % 1 20 ? liefonnalivo treatment oniy -. . ' G8 J ,J, ° fa ls - ;..: -5,368 3,90 D The Inspector-Goueral states that though the above table shows .103 fewer ' uumissions ot criminals, under sentence, it "" * tloes not necessarily imply 468 fewer criminals. It is likely that there has been a decided reduction, but probably in 1910 a much larger number of prisoners wore convicted .several times. A tablcin the 1 " appendix shows that last year occupies' "- ti conspicuously favourable position, there ■ being.fewer persons convicted than in any of-the fivo previous years (305 fewer •Imn ml9lO) and with a reduction in tile criminal population coincident with an increase in the' general population, tho act-is further emphasised.'. During 1911 ttioro were 2877 distinct persons imprisoned after conviction, a number which represents -28.35. per 10,000 of tho general population. The nest lowest ratio, 31.84, "■as 111 190S, and the next lowest number of prisoners (29GC) was in 1906, when' the ratio.was 33.12 per 10,000. Tho sick among tho prison populationivere 4.04 per cent of tho total (after de(lueting transfers from 0110 prison to another) of all persons in custody during ~ the year, bix deaths occurred in prison (as against 8 in the previous year), I at Auckland and 1 each at Wellington' and Lyttelton. . .^ Thoro were 8 escapes duving tho year— "* tlio same number as in the previous vear; Invercargill 2; Wellington, 2; and 1 each from Waipa, Gisborne, and -Hold-- '■. tikn, and ono by jumping off tho train when being e.=cor(od from Dunedin to . Invercargill. In. ono case the prisoner' was not recaptured. . . ' There were 413 prison offences recorded against 252 prisoners during the vear. Dr. Hay Mates that errors in.desigifand . . construction of tho prisons mako the dif- '• lenities of classification extreme. Of the larger prisons, those nt Auckland and InvcrcftTßiH nro the only .ones wliich possese nny facililies. ■■ . ,j TIl ° , Inspector-General . acknoirletlgoa mo valuable assistance he has rece'v..,! , from Mr..Kayll and expresses the opinion that lie should have been nmiointetl to snpenntend tho Waikeira refoniiatorv an institution which it is intended to conduct on hues differinj; from the ordinary prison routine, "hut not upon any sys¥J ? f J™tnor-ped.end spoon-feeding." ■ Dr. Hay concludes his report as follows: I have stated that the work of tho : Department has grown and is growing.' 1 wish to add that it is, with the time at my disposal, impossible for me,. under present circumstances, to carry out the inspection of the prisons in' the'coninlcfo ' manner in which the -work should bo done. I am strongly impressed with the absolute necessity of a system of inspection by somo officer whoso duty it would bo to continually movo about to seethat the daily routino of discipline and duty is carried out in an efficient. and unilorm manner, Tho wnnt of uniformity is a fruitful sourco of discontent and complaint, especially with prisoners who have served a former sentence in an- ' other prison or been transferred; and T ■was particularly struck- by a remark made by a prisoner who had served a sentence 111 another country where the discipline \vns strict and the conditions hard, (hat ho preferred'-it. ■ becn.uso.' hero different: officers had different methods and he ' never knew wheVo he stood.. The strictest discipline is compatible iyjt.li the mort humanitarian incthods, when what constitutes discipline and responsibility is ' viewed from an enliuhtcned standpoint." .'