BEHIND IRON BARS.

Taranaki Daily News, 24 February 1922, Page 4

BEHIND IRON BARS.

THE LIFE IN A GAOL. NEW PLYMOUTH PRISON HOW THE DAY PASSES. The life of a prisoner spending many years in gaol, a pariah of society and all the good things in the world, is wrapped in mystery to most peop’e—some imagine it as a place of terrors, and others believe it to be “an old man’s home.” It is neither. Its comforts are the comforts of cleanliness and hygiene and its terrors are the restrictions of an iron discipline. A Daily News reporter spent yesterday afternoon at the New Plymouth gaol and after a thorough investigation of the prison and the life lived there he would disabuse any intending criminal of the idea that “the house on the hill is an old man’s home.” 'Especially is this so in the ease of a Iqng-aentence prison such as that at New Plymouth, where strict discipline, hard work and the weary monotony of the day’s round are conditions which a normal mind cannot contemplate with equanimity. From without the New Plymouth prison is dreary enough, but when the hqavy door clangs to and shuts one in the atmosphere of the place is infinitely hopeless and depressing. On the right inside the entrance door are the gaoler’s offices and th e warders’ quarters; on the left the storerooms. An iron gate leads aheau' into a wide open hall known as the “dome,” and here it is that lectures are delivered and entertainments are sometimes held. The dome also houses a library, but its literature is not tastefully arranged, or invitingly exposed to view, but is locked behind heavy wooden doors, and no book may be taken except according to allowance and 'by permission. The floor of the “dome” is of cement, as are all the floors, and is spotlessly clean and rigidly plain. The various departments of the prison open out from the “dome.” On tne right is the cookhouse, also plain and severe, and embellished only with the barest necessities, but it is clean and orderly, conditions in keeping with the food that is cooked there. THE HOME COMFORTS. A door leads out into the general ercise yard, where there are flower plots and a seat or two, but high stone walls shut out the world of freedom. and the sense of confinement is scarcely" relieved. Leading straight through from the entrance gate in the “dome” is a long corridor, with cells on either side, a similar corridor extending to the left, and here it is that th? dreariness of prison life comes Jiome. All of a pattern and spotlessly clean (indeed naked stone lends itself to cleanliness) the cells are cramped and small and cheerless, measuring only about Bft. 6in, by sft. Gin. The furniture of each consists of a hammock neatly rolled, blankets, a little wooden stool, a tiny rack accommodating a knife, fork and spoon, a wash basin and a record card denoting the occupant’s conduct marks. Two iron gratings, one high up and the other near the floor, admit* light and air. In this compartment under locks and bars the greater part of the prisoner’s sentence is spent. By stretching out his arms he can touch the side walls of his cell, and its length is littfb more than his own. In this wing is also the padded cell for refractory prisoners. Larger than the ordinary cells it is padded, walls and floor,, to a depth of about a foot with heavy painted canvas stuffed with soft material, and it is practically impossible for a prisoner to injure himself when confined there.

At 6.30 a.m. each day the prison bell clangs out as a warning to prisoners to rise, wash, tidy their cells and prepare for breakfast. At 7 o’clock a breakfast is served consisting of oatmeal porridge, bread and tea. At this meal floss, o-f oatmeal, Jib. of bread and %oz«. tea are served, these viands having to be spread over the day’s three meals, Shortly before 8 o’clock the hard labor prisoners, which comprise practically the whole 38 prisoners in the gaol, are mustered and searched so that nothing may be concealed on their persons when at 8 o’clock they are marched out to the stone quarry or to such other work a* may be assigned to them. SEARCHING REGULATIONS. At 10 minutes to 12 they are marched back to the prison, searched and locked in the cells for the mid-day meal. Meat is served for this meal and vegetables, which might be taken with the tea and bread apportioned earlier in the day. Searched again before one o’clock they are marched out to work, where they remain till 5 o’clock. On returning to prison in the evening every prisoner is thoroughly searched, two or three of the number being stripped naked each evening so as to make the search complete. Locked up for the night shortly after five o’clock a tea is served to them which usually consists of rice and varies little, the remainder of the morning’s issue being taken at this meal. Lights are out at 8 o’clock, excepting in cases where special concessions may be made, when the lights may remain* on until 9 or 10 o’clock.

And so it is to-morrow and every day, ah unremitting round of monotony. When a prison official comes into the presence of a prisoner that prisoner must rise to attention and salute. The conduct of the prisoners on the whole is said to be good, and very little trouble arises. If a prisoner is sick he is attended by a doctor and his rations may be varied according to requirements. Milk may be served out on such occasions, but in the ordinary routine neither milk nor butter is issued. Prisoners on remand or awaiting trial are kept in separate cells, their conditions being almost identical with those of prisoners serving sentence, excepting that their rations are more liberal and of wider choice and they have a separate exercise yard. An allowance of half a stick of tobacco a week is made to prisoners with a sentence of over three months, those with a lesser sentence receiving no allowane* except by special concession.