PROTEST AT PENAL SYSTEM

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 47, 11 March 1937, Page 7

PROTEST AT PENAL SYSTEM

-Prees Association.)

Minister Who Knows Prison Approached HOWARD LEAGUEVIEWS

(By Telegraph-

. AUCKLAND, Last Night. oue who years ago had been imprisoned for his political opinions, the | Minister of Labour, Hon. H. T. Armjstrong, showed a personal interest in jfche arguments used by a deputation in ; ■favour of a full and open investigation iinto the penal system of the Dominion. 'Mr Armstrong had been deputed by the Prime Minister to reeeive the deputation qn his behalf . The deputation was ■ sponsored by the Howard League for Penal Reform and included lawyers, clergymen, gocial workers, educationists and business-men, ' Mr 0. L. Gillies, on behalf of the Howard League, said the fact that New Zealand had three times as many prisoners in proportion to population as :England and more than Scotland, 'Northem Ireland, the Xrish. Pree State, jSeandinavian countriea or Australia j showed that. there was a state of affairs requiring investigation. There was evi.dence to show that the beneficial treat.ment p£ Borstal inmates fell far short jof what i.t might he. Paots known con.cerning the probation serviqe pointed to a greatly overworked staff, insufS.cdent training and lack of f'aeilities for ja complete survey of the individual -delinqnent to determine the best method jof treatment for hdm. There was explicit evidence that the value of the modern aid of psychology and psychiatry ta problems of deliniquency was neither understood nor ap.'preciated by the anthorities, It was 'suggested that two properly equipped and staffed observation centres should ;be established, one in each island, for !the full Jnvestigation of every convictted person before sentence. "I have been very much impressed by the representations you havemade," said the Minister in reply. "I will certainly convey them to the Prime Minister and members of Cabinet and ■I think I can give you the assuranee that they will be seriously considered. "Perhaps I am a little more interested beeause I once experienced a shorfc terrn of imprisonment, though I have nothing to apologise for," Mr Armstrong continued. "It was an experience that was worth while. Our penal ' system may be backward but it has made a wonderful advanqe since then. I used to see men yarded up like cattle, decent boys and hardened criminals together." A member of the deputation: They still are, sirl Another member: They work together ,.though they do not use the same yard, "I do not know about the present men,'' remarked Mr Armstroug. "Speaking of prison warders, those I had to do with were well meaning but 'their idea of reforming prisoners belonged to the dark ages. Warders I should be the best type of individual ipossible, carefully selected and trained, .and not chosen * mereiy for their iphysique," He agreed there was need for full ieducational faeilities and training in handierafts, which he did hot believe was developed sufficiently except in borstal inst-itutions. The men should not be kept locked so long in their cells i as had been the xule in his experience. He was in favour of a fuller examination of offenders before sentence. , He had found a large proportion of ' so-called criminals were simply victims of mental disease and among the .prisoners he had seen poor old men who were in gaol mereiy beeause they eould not work and there was no other place for them. It seemed to him wrong that young men should be sentenced to long( terms of £ve to ten years when there was a possibility they might be fully Ireformed in one year.