THE REFORMATORY PRISONS

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 239, 14 February 1911, Page 5

THE REFORMATORY PRISONS

PERSONNEL OF THE BOARD.

By Cable—Press Association—Copyright. Wellington, Monday.

The Prisons Board constituted under the Crimes Act to consider cases of prisoners undergoing reformative detention is constituted as follows:—President, the Chief Justice; official members, Mr. Waldegrave, Under-Secretary for Justice, and Dr. Hay, Inspector of Prisons; non-oiricial members, Messrs. P. G. Ewington (Auckland), George Fenwick (Dunedin), J. R. Blair (Wellington), and W. Reece (Christchurch). Dr. Findlay states that lie considered it desirable to follow the practice prevailing in other countries not to appoint members of Parliament to such boards.

DR. FINDLAY INTERVIEWED.

Wellington, Last Night.

Dr. Findlay (Minister for Justice), interviewed to-night, said: "Each member of the Board has for some years been identified directly either with prisons or with reformative or humanitarian associations. The official members, including the Chief Justice, have admittedly special qualifications for the work involved. The Chief .Justice has always shown a very sympathetic and scientific interest in all methods of prison reform. It will be remembered that the prison board is one of the essential pivots ol our new prison system. Under the new system the judge commits a prisoner for a period not exceeding ten years, and, in fact, the commitment is for such period only as the board shall deem necessary for the reform of the offender. It will thus be seen that the old system is entirely converted. Under the old system the sentence was fixed at the time of commitment and was merely il not solely primitive. Under the new .system the period is, in fact, not fixed at all, and its duration depends entirely upon the conduct of the offender himself. In other words, the board is charged with the function of deciding when a prisoner has qualified himself for release or probation. The duties of the board wth regard to probation are as important as those connected with the discharge of prisoners. The new Act greatly extends the old system of probation, and the successful application of the new system of probation is essential to the success of the new scheme." Asked whether he liad settled any principles so far as they would be settled by the Minister of Justice of the new probation scheme, Dr. Findlay said that Cabinet had that day approved of "important new principles" in this matter, but he would publish them later. Has anything further been done in connection with carrying out the genera) scheme outlined by you some time ago? The renlv was that such further steps had been taken yesterday, when it was decided that all the women prisoners in Dunedin gaol should be transferred to Lyttelton gaol. The number of women prisoners in Dunedin is exceedingly small and has involved a cost of superintendence of nearly £2OO per annum. This will be almost wholly saved under the new arrangements. The transfer of women prisoners is preliminary to the transfer of the men prisoners when accommodation has been found elsewhere for them. The Dunedin gaol will then be wholly closed, and the buildings devoted to other public purnoses for which they are suitable.