GAOL POPULATION.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 93, 10 October 1911, Page 7

GAOL POPULATION.

PROGRESS OF PRISON REFORM. OFJTCM.L REPORT. OX THE WHOLE SATISFACTORY. Wellington, October 5. The number of prisoners in tlie gaols of the Dominion on the 30th of June was 891, as compared with 949 on the Ist January, 1910, and 882 on Ist January, 1911. In recording this fact, the Under-Secretary for Justice points out, however, that a number of persons are now sent to inebriate institutions or reformatory homes who previously were sent to gaol. The total number of distinct convicted prisoners received during 1910 shows an increase of 83. The proportion according to population shows a slight decrease. CRIME NOT INCREASING. "There has been no movement in the criminal population for the'past year or two calling for comment," says the Under-Secretary, "but it is clear that crime is not increasing." Generally speaking, he reports, the inmates of tree-planting camps are, well .behaved and hard working, and fully appreciate the advantages of being in a camp instead of in a town prison. The camp at Waipa is now used for first offenders only. NECESSARILY SLOW.

The scheme of prison reform initiated by the Minister of Justice, he goes on to •say, has not yet progrescsd as rapidly as some ardent enthusiasts would desire. Progress in this direction must necessarily he a slow process, owing to the enormous difficulties involved in substituting modern, weil-equipped, .penological institutions for obsolete gaols. The gaol at Dunedin, for instance, is absolutely useless for any purpose othe* than the detention of prisoners in confinement. The gaol at Napier is little better, and the Lyttelton Gaol affords few facilities for any kind of classification or reformative treatment, though improvements in this direction are in contemplation. These arc the worst instances, hut similar difficulties confront us in other gaols. In Inivercargill the circumstances are more favorable, and good work is being done there. In the Dunedin, Napier, and Lyttelton gaols the number of prisoners confined on 20th June was 228. It must he obvious, says the Under-Secretary, that this large number cannot .he provided for elsewhere at once. "Therefore I venture to suggest to the critics of the prison administration that they should not expect a system that ha« .been in force for so many years to be completely revolutioised in a short twelve months. The Department is doing'its best to grapple with the task it has undertaken, but it requires some time before ;the results become apparent. ' '*" GAOL ADMINISTRATION". The Inspector of Prisons J (Dr. 1 Hay) and the Visiting Adviser (Mr. J. Kayll) also report on the work, of the gaol administration. The work ot the treeplanting camps, they say, fe making good progress. The experiment of ten years of this method of employing prisonersj has made it <(uite clear that the greatest care has to be exercised' in selecting men .to; send, to the canips. We have'inane a rule, they add, not to send mem who have been tree-planting during a iptcvious .sentence.

Before the major portion of'the .work of reorganising the prisons can be carried, out, they go on to say,'it wijl be necessary to have the reformatory farm at Tokaanui in an effective'condition. Preliminary buildings ore now ift'eoMrso of erection, and lwfo.re many months we expect to be able to send a batch of prisoners to commence work on the '• permanent buildings. They add that at present the women are scattered'in Small groups in all the prison's, jnimVlno arrangements can be made foi- necesjsary classification. '' " "

; ■" . HABITUAL CRIMINAL. [ ''At. the reformatory prisons-''tot l New Plymouth, where the'habitual.'criminals a're' detained, there Vera 15 mules; and four females in custody ajti-fihe beginning of last year. During the wafo2l males and one female were and 10 moles and three females discharged, leaving 2<l -males two fcmalek in custody at the close of the year. '

FIRST OFFENDERS' PROBATION. During 1010 108 persons were pkwed on probation. Of these, 24 liave so' far satisfactorily carried out the terms of their licenses and been discharged, 24 have been re-arrested, nine absconded, three were granted permission to leave the Dominion, and 08 still remain Wider the supervision of the probation officers. Of the 2301 persons placed on probation since the passing of the First Offenders' Probation Act in 1880, 1080 have jbeen discharged after properly carryingi out the conditions of their licenses. 141 have been re-arrested and sentenced to various terms of imprisonment, (!7 absconded and were permitted to leave the- Dominion, one committed suicide, four died, and 112 still remain under the supervision of the probation officer. j

EDUCATION. : It is interesting to note that of, the 5309 males and 542 females received; into the gaols during the year, 5098 males and 511 females could read and write. 211 males and 27 females tould nqither read nor write, 57 males and three females could only read, and 33 males and one female were of superior creation, i VWiBRR THEY HAVE OOME FROM. The birth-places of convicted prisjoncrs during 1010 are given in detail, thejiprinci]»l "iisrures being:—New Zealand.) 103S males 'and 120 females; England! and Wales, 802 males and 37 females; Ireland, 343 males and 3B females: uScotlnnd, 20!) males and 21 females: > Australian States, 250 males and 19 females.