OUR PRISONS.

Auckland Star, Volume L, Issue 201, 25 August 1919, Page 9

OUR PRISONS.

VIEWED FROM INSIDE. A OIIAPLAIN'S EXPERIENCE. (By Chaplain E. C. Budd.) "What is that place, mother?" "That is the prison, Ctoairlie, where they put bad men. You s-ee flhat man walking along the top, he is carrying- a loadied gun in his hand, ready to shoot anyone who tries to gett over the wall." The little fellow looks frightened, and gets closer to his mother, his invagination picturing all sorts of dreadful things going on within the high stone Walls. Crown up -men and -women have much the same shrinking and fear when they pass the gloomy, fortress-looking Auckland gaol, lt is well this should bo so. When imprisonment loses its terror, and a period of detention there is considered ias little worse than a sojourn in the general hospital, the public mind amd conscience will be in Ja very unhealthy state. Humanitarianistn may be carried to such lengths as to become (what Araiold of Rugby describes as) "a sympathy with wickedness justly punished, rather than with the law, whether of Cod or man, unjustly violated."

When statements are made from time' to time in the press or on political platforms of cruelty and wrong inflicted | an prisoners, the public have a right to know the truth of the matter. They are naturally suspicious of official denials, ami prefer to trust, an .impartial, disinterested person, who is not a Government servant, who speaks without fear or favour. Before giving credence to charges against prison officials or prison treatment, it is well to know the man who makes the charge, and what is his object in making it. Not very long ago a deputation from various religious and other bodies waited upon the l'risotis Board, • making many complaints and, 3Ug*fCst.ions. Within a few weeks or- ! months seine of the members of the deputation were themselves in prison as conscientious objectors. After that experience they could speak with lirstliand knowledge of the place, and their opinions would have greater weight.

THINGS OF THK PAST The New Zealand prison system is far from perfect, nuany improvements may bo effected, ami from what has been done during the pant twenty years 1 feel confident that much will be dono in the immediate fi'turc. 1 can !>pea.k quite impartially, quite fearles-sly. having nothing to gain anil little to lose In th« first place, leg.irons, ami hand culTs, and brutal treatment, the pitch black cells are things of the past. The punishment cells arc darker than the ordinary cells, because th-e glass ir replaced by a piece of sheet iron, having perforated lialea, the glass being sc often broken by refractory prisoner.that it h.-i.l to be removed altogether In extremely rare cases handcuff mat have to be. u-scd, but only to protect the officers from violence. Let v bt remembered t.h.it above -all things dUci pltnc must be maintained, in tiie besi interests of the prisoners as well as ir that of the officers. But the need o punishment grows less every year, one not one. in ten has to be brought be fori the visiting magistrate for a prisoi olTenee. INEQUALITY OF SENTENCES. The question of prinoners and matter* arising from it is a big one: I can onh touch one or two points. The firr-t sr importance is that of the sentence. Man\ sentences are very long, very severe. Out judge may be severe, another lenient. My firr't impression on going amongst prisoners was how unequally they had been treated; after a lifetime .-pent amoiur.st them the impress-ion remains as strong as ever. My representations to the fiovernor and the .lustice Department probably liad come influence in br.Hiring about tin? establishment of a Prisons Hoard having power to rectify any inequalities. This board has great powers. It may recommend the release of any long sentence luird labour man who has served half the maximum sentence, any habitual criminal on probation, any one sentenced to reformative detention. After a certain number of convictions a man may bo declared an habitual criminal, his term in gaol th.'ii becomes strictly indeterminate, his release being in the hands ol the Prisons Board. When released he is on probation, and comes under the supervision and care of tiie probation officer. On discharge he usually gets a fair sum of money. part being given to him on release, part given to him or expended for him by the probation officer. All this applies to men sentenced to "reformative detention," The last two classes receive sixpence or ninepencc a day for their labour; hard labour men receive, one halfpenny. Yet they do the fame work, are in the same locality, and so far as character and offence there may be little to choose between them. This difference of treatment is quite wrong, and creates bad feeling in tlic goal. 1 have seen a prisoner doinsr highly skilled work for which he will receive a halfpenny a day, and another breaking stones, and getting sixpence. Then, again, greater care and discrimination should be exercised in placing offenders on reformative treatment or hard labour. At a. certain sessions an old man of seventy was sentenced to reformative detention for three, years, a young man ol twenty to three years' hard labour. Surely the more hopeful subject for reform was the young man. Then, too, the old man left gaol with £.10 to his credit, the younger man with about £2. The reader may ask what is this reformative treatment that we hear so much about? My answer is, it doesn't exist. Referring to Mrs. Harris, Betsy Prig once said, " T don't believe there's no sich a person." And I say there's no sich a thing as reformative treatment. Rome years ago the magistrate, when sentencing a man, would say. " I'm not going to send you to gaol, i will give you a term of reformative detention," and immediately proceeded to send him to gaol. This was so manifestly absurd that we never hear it now. Reformatory detention should be given to young offenders convicted for the first or second time, who may reasonably be considered as hopeful subjects for the experiment. There should be special treatment in a special institution. Either this, or cease to inflict this sentence, for it has little or no meaning. ITS WORST FEATURE"-'. Perhaps the worst features in the present system of prison treatment, to which attention should be drawn, and where changes for the better may be made, are (1) the deadly monotony oi the life; (2) the uninteresting work; (3) the long hours of idleness. It i: almost if not quite possible to make out penal establishments paying institutions Dyring the winter months the men are from fifteen to sixteen hours In the cell: every day, doing nothing. At Parra | aifttta, Gaol men work in the cells it

the evening at brush/making, etc. They receive a small payment for this work; this provides an incentive, gives them an interest, and is a source of profit to the State. I mention New South Wales because what is possible there is possible here; but in England the same system obtains. In our own prisons, the most interesting, the best equipped, the most profitable department is the boot shop. Excellent work is done, men learn the trade, and on regaining their freedom they have gone into the business on their own account, and done well. This article is already sufficiently long, although many points of interest have not been mentioned, as e.g., the prison camps, the library, divine services, lectures, the food, aid to discharged prisoners, post prison treatment, etc. The public may rest assured there are not a few of us in this Dominion who are deeply interested in the welfare of these men, helping them to live godly, righteous 1 and sober lives.