PRISON CHANGES

Evening Post, Volume XCVII, Issue 127, 31 May 1919, Page 5

PRISON CHANGES

THE TRENTHAM PROPOSAL

NOT FOR LONG-TERM PRISONERS.

In the absence from Wellington of the Hon. T. M. Wilford, Minister for Justice, a Post reporter made inquiries of the Prison's Department regarding the proposal to use an area of land at Trentham for prison purposes. The reporter was informed that the suggestion that the Terrace Gaoi was to be transferred to this locality conveyed an entirely misleading impression. -•■ The site was hot intended for a general prison, but only for occupation by short-sen-tence prisoners, whose terms did not exceed six months. This change was rendered necessary by the fact that the Mount Cook Prison Reserve would soon be required for technic.il school purposes. This proposal was part of the modern system by which prisoners were employed as far as possible on the land instead of being kept in the town's, but this did not mean that:the type of prisoner at present confined at the Terrace would be sent to Trentham. A' redrafting and reclassification of prisoners confined in the Wellington gaols would be made so that none but suitable cases would be sent to the farm prison at Trentham—certainly none whose presence could be in any way a source of alarm to the community. This point was specially emphasised—that Trentham was not to be a gaol for all classes; but for one special type only. -. ' : ' Steps were being taken to erect temporary cell buildings for the. accommodation of a limited number of shortsentence prisoners some distance at the back of the Trentham encampment in one of the side gullies leading from the swamp area. When the. necessary buildings had been provided the prisoners would be employed, draining the swamp at Trentham, and generally improving the Government property in that locality. There ,was no intention of placing the prison buildings or a camp on the frontage of the property within a mile o£ the railway line. The- section facing the Heretauttga railway station had merely been reserved as an entrance section, and would not be utilised for the prison buildings. At the present time the only prisoners employed there were a few men who had been sentenced to imprisonment with hard labour by the. military Courts. There were no civil prisoners. '• .

It was intended to, improve- the property by drainage, alteration, and some reafforestation. At present nine-tenths of the land was unfit for any- purpose, but the prison labour would bring it to the point of usefulness.

The Department was only erecting temporary buildings, and was building them in such a way that they could be re-, moved at any time to any other area that might be selected by the Government for improvement by prison labour. ' There was no intention at the present time of erecting a big permanent building.