THE PRISONS.

Horowhenua Chronicle, 19 August 1910, Page 2

THE PRISONS.

KKI'OItT TO I'AHLI AMICXT. SO.MK IXT I'd! KSTIXG DETAILS. 1 i'Klt I'ltEflS ABSOLUTION.] "N\ KLLI XGTOX, August 18. Dr. I'indlay (aided in the Council l-ne report of (he Under-Secretary loir • Justice in I'ris.'in.s. There was a slight inciease in the number of prisoners ic:ei\e.d during ]{)()!), ami the number previously convicted showed (lie necessity for moie at.tenlion being paid (o i,he reformative side of the pris-on system. I nvei' -a rjr.ill promises to he one of the most uselul gaols. Tlie market garden (.here is worked on a proiitable basis and the concrete blocks turned out by tlie recently purchased plant finds a iieady sale. A number of boys have been sent to Inverand arrangements havo boon made to advance their education. The habitual criinircils in I,he reformatory prison at Xcw Plymouth u'ero eniinployed in mat-making until the supply of m.'itiS exceeded" the demand. when tlie men were put tn woik :n a (piarrv.

I ~ap:er gaol_ is the, worst in Xcw Zealand, being inconvenient and partly insanitary. This precludes the classification of prisoners. 'I lie only employment is work in the corpora I,km quarry. J ree planting camps have proved of moral and economic value. Many tree planters do not re tun n to crime, and the chief difficulty is*to keep llj" camps up to the 'full strength, 'he discipline is not so strict a.s in ihe gaols. Many prisoners havo to be rejected as they cannot bo trust- • l d. 'Ihe suggestion is made to '•reate a difjerent class of cninp '■'•'here discipline would be more rigid. At the three camps over 3.J, milh\m trees were planted during the year It has been decided wherever practicable lo place- prison officers in ■•lead of police officers in charge of •H police ganls (in whicli prisoners !n; ',n "'i 1, ,)C detained over 30 days). Lhe Inebriates' IToine at J J akatoa and the Samaritan Home at Christ■"h 11 r;■!i are both full, there being fifty in the former and ten in the latter. Mr Waldegrave believes the experiment of sweeping derelicts off the streets- and placing them in healthy surroundings for at least a year to '•liable them to reform from the 'Irnik habit has been 1 airly successiul so far as it goes. lie has received letters from ex-inmates speaking well ol the treatment in the •'ionics and Ithe benefit derived. At a.l events, he adds, they are we'll c;:)e l ior in the homes, and it costs less to ko n p them there llian in gaol. He expresses his thanks to the gao'l;Y S .-jn'L warders, and especially t*> 1 .he l!ev. J\ayll, visiting adviser to M e prisons.

■ V .li- Frank i fay, Inspector of Prisimports L!i;1 1 on March 31, 1009 M ;" « ; "37 males antl 5<J females i;i the prisons ;nul ramps, ant] "ii ( .M;• rr,i 3J, irn 0, there wore %C man's and 74 females, who were mi per visor! by asi nil' o .f 177. 'J'he 'i.sil.s ol insDC'.'Ufiii showed that the prisons wero uniformly dean and the r'e.l.s u'ere kept in order. There were seven os-anrs -dii'ii»g tlio year '•"anisl, twelve in 1908, viz., Dinieiii 1, Ifa inner 1, AYangamii 2. Welv U '; ( ?"i £i*'.or»o Pahnerston •>oiih 1. Seven deaths occurred a.'/amsfc s;\ tlie previous year Durino; the year GO2O males and !<•' lemnlcs pa, : ,se;l throuuji the pj;isl||lsv,!ff increase of 183 maJes ' : V' 2 f "" 1;t!ps - Wio flailv average t! ;° «°nfe was 818J males and. 02 females, being an inorease on the previous year of 6.>J males and a decrease of i.J females. J here were 113 offences reported onanist bl prisoners. I'.udity first offenders were placed, on probation, »f which 23 fulfilled the conditions and, were discharged. Nine h;vl been re-arrested, two had abscoii'<vl, and one was allowed to ■ cave New Zealand. Forty-five remain under tlie supervision of the probation officers. Since the Act was enforced in 1880 tlie percentage who completed probation is 85, wbile ? n i7 ! jCr ce,, k absconded successfully.