PENAL REFORM.

Hokitika Guardian, 24 April 1926, Page 4

PENAL REFORM.

IN BRITISH PRISONS. Prison authorities in Great Britain considered that the dole system was largely responsible for the increased number of persons in gaol, states Airs A. X. Pebney, of Sydney, who takes a special interest in penal reform. She bad been told that while the system existed the majority of those who were put in prison would not seek work. While in. Britain she. visited several prisons, including the old gaol in Edinburgh. There she found that the men Is were restricted to porridge and milk for breakfast, soup and bread, and thick stew alternately for dinner., and a pint of tea and bread and margarine for tea.

There were n few jlowcrs in some of the women’s cells, and an hour’s lesson was hold daily in reading, writing and arithmetic. At the Duke Street Gaol, Glasgow, if the prisoners considered that they had insufficient food they could obtain more. For good behaviour a maximum of four months was allowed off a year for women and three months for men. Officials at that- institution informed her that drink was the cause of 75 per cent, of tlie crime.

Conditions were better at the new prison in lulinburgli, which was still in course of erection. If it were possible for such, a building to be beautiful, that one was. From their windows prisoners could see the countryside.

; ROAST beef AND PUDDING. Referring to the shun portion of Kclinbudgh, in the vicinity of Holy- | rood Castle, once the aristocratic part of the city. .Mrs Dehney says there were public wash-houses for the use of the poor, where, on payment of 2d an hour, clothes were boiled, and then wrung almost dry. Later they were hung from the windows to dry fully. At Holloway Gaol for women, in London. the diet was more extensive than in Scottish prisons, and roast beef and pudding were provided twice a week. To her it seemed that penal reform was needed more in Britain than in Australia, and she had seen nothing equal to t-lie French inland, system. TERRIBLE FACTS. Another enthusiast on tho subject, said that crime was decreasing lull over the world except in America, A feature of the present day crime was the youthfulness of the offenders. An American authority had stated that in ten years the average of hiirghms had dropped from 29 to 24 years, robbers 28 to 20 years, and murderers from 32 to 23s years. Three quniTcrs of the movie "fiends” were less than 21 years of age, and fully 85 per cent, of tin' films Mere full of vice and sex questions, lie had no doubt that a large number of the youthful delinquents in Australia were also movie “fiends.” If he "'ore chief secretary h" would do away with the Coburg* gaol, and remove all prisoners to French Island. The further they wore removed from tho environment of the city the better it would be for the prisoners and for the community.