PHOTOGRAPHING PRISONERS.

Auckland Star, Volume XXIV, Issue 210, 6 September 1893, Page 5

PHOTOGRAPHING PRISONERS.

COMMENT IN THE HOUSE OF

REPRESENTATIVES,

(BY TELEGRAPH. — PARLIAMENTARY

REFOIITEK.)

Wellington, this day,

Our English law holds every man innocent till he is proved to be guilty, but if what Mr Jaekeon Palmer told the House yesterday bo correct, ib is cloar thao our i prison officials display a tendency to disregard this rule. The member tor Waitemata had a long question on the Order J'apor, asking the Defence Minister whether bo was aware of the treatmenb undergone by a prisoner at the hands of the Auckland gaol authorities. The House gathered from the question and the explanations which Mr Palmer gave that a man, Younger by name, had been remanded to prison on a certain charge because he could nob find bail. While he was there his gaoler repeatedly tried bo photograph him, and when ho objected to ba associated even in effigy with the gontleinen of the Bill Sykes or Fagin class, they assaulted him for a breach of the prison rules. ■ When the gaol officials found their efforts to obtain a photo of their prisoner set at nought, they took him beforo the R.M., wiio held Younger had no right to resist, according to the prison regulations, which made no difference in the matter of being photographed, at least, between a convicted prisoner and ono who is lodged in prison awaiting his trial. Mr Palmev'a story was listened to with great attention, and indignant exclamations were frequently heard in the house while he was speaking. In the laub part of his question, ho asked the Minister for Justico whether he considered such regulations as those under which the man had sufiercd were in conformity with the law of justice or the Prisons Act. In reply, Mr Reeves seemed to think the indignity was nob in being photographed but in having tho picture placed alongside that of criminals of all sorts and degrees. He was by no means sure,.however, that in the case of Younger that had been dono. He had been informed thab the man had nob been assaulted. Messrs Taylor and Fish were the first to leb their indignation boil over into words. The former waxed loud in his protests and expressed himself anything but satisfied with the Minister's reply. Mr Fish considered the affair tho most scandalous he had ever heard of. Ho held thab wo might just f.ss well be living in Russia, and ended up with a skilful smack at tho Government about the Departments being ruled by lendedjit/mppers. Mr Hogg strengthened tfeo case for the prosecution by ovorriog that he could vouch for the prevalence of such practices in our prisons. He knew yoong men who although quite innocent had their photos adorning the leaves of all the police albums in the colony. Finally, Mr Reeves promised that the whole affair would be thoroughly sifted as id deserved tv bo.