In Mount Eden Gaol

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 1029, 21 July 1930, Page 8

In Mount Eden Gaol

LAWNS, LIBRARY AND CHAPEL THE forbidding appearance of Mount Eden Prison, with its grey towers and iron-studded gates, reminiscent of a mediaeval fortress and its thick stone walls on which armed sentries are forever on the watch, it quite misleading, according to Mr. Claude J. L. White, a Dunedin lawyer, who recently was given permission to inspect the building. Lawns and flower gardens in the women’s section, clean and cosy cells which prisoners may decorate according to their fancy, an extensive library and huge exercise yards give the inside the appearance rather of a military barracks than of a penitentiary.

Mr. White, when visiting a legal conference in Auckland, secured admission to the prison through the chaplain, the Rev. George Moreton, formerly stationed at Dunedin.

The outside, familiar to most Aucklanders, is certainly not a prepossessing one. “What a sickening feeling it must give to a man who first sights it when being brought in to serve a long sentence,” comments Mr. White. The prison itself is vast, containing more than 400 rooms, with great corridors, sheds, workshops, and exercise yards. Entering the main hall, the visitor sees the records offices and the rooms where prisoners may talk with their friends on visiting days. In the main office is a warder skimming through piles of letters, books, and magazines. Every word which goes into the hands of the prisoners must be censored, and all articles and illustrations which deal with murders and criminal methods must be expurgated. Thus the prisoner is denied the pleasure of many a “thriller.” THOUSANDS OF BOOKS The prison has a library with thousands of books, all catalogued and indexed. Two men are kept busy in repairing and rebinding volumes. Every inmate is allowed four books and two magazines every week, a supply of scientific and technical volumes encouraging study. Textbooks not in the library may be procured out of earnings. There is also a school, but education must perforce be elementary. The various wings are extraordinarily bright, and spotlessly clean, Mr. White states. The three storeys have cells along each side, access to the upper cells being gained by means of a steel staircase leading to wide iron balconies on each floor, the whole arrangement resembling a huge fireescape. The building is much brighter than the Dunedin prison, and prisoners are allowed additional furniture, a writing-desk, and two bookshelves. Photographs of sweethearts and wives decorate many walls. Great use is made of the reading facilities, and nearly every shelf is full of books and papers. Prisoners too old to work are kept in large dormitories, spending the larger part of their time in preparing vegetables for the cooks. "ASSOCIATION CELLS" An innovation at Mount Eden is the system of “association cells,” in which prisoners who have earned the right through good conduct are allowed to spend their nights. Instead

of being alone through the hours of darkness, from two to a doxen sleep in the one dormitory, where they may talk, smoke, read or play any other than card games. Already there are more than 100 men in these special cells, and the scheme is proving a great success.

Splendid cooking by amateurs impressed Mr. White. All cooks sleep in a special dormitory and have special privileges. They are all trained in the building, as rarely, Mr. White was informed, do professional men fall foul of the law. Mr. White was surprised at the small number in the infirmary, which is also used as a dental clinic. He also visited the workrooms, where boots for all inmates are made. Government mail bags, too. are among the products of Mount Eden Prison. A bathroom of gargantuan proportions containing innumerable cubicles, all fitted with showers, is well patronised. GOOD CONGREGATION A visit was paid to the chapel where Mr. Moreton holds services every Sunday. There is always a good congregation. Prisoners are allowed to choose their own hymns, often with curious results. ' Lawns with flower gardens and seats which the prisoners may occupy on holidays and during the weekends form an essential part of the exercise yards. Separate yards are provided for habitual criminals, young offenders and those undergoing reformative detention. Around the walls parade armed sentries, making sure that the privilege of using the yards is not abused. Sliding steel panels after the style of bulkheads, operated by levers at the main entrance of the prison, are also there for use in case of a mutiny. One part can thus be isolated in a few seconds. Mr. White’s tour of inspection lasted more than two hours, and he visited everj r part of the prison except the punishment cells, many of which were then in use. the section occupied by those awaiting trial, and the condemned cells. At the time of his visit Munn was incarcerated here, but he was seeing only special warders and those concerned directly with his defence.

The women’s section is reminiscent of a small village, complete with even the village green in the centre of the square. Each woman has a separate room, very cosy and quite well furnished, with a window overlooking the lawn. There were only about 10 women there at the time, all being employed in laundry work.