AFTER CARE OF PRISONERS.

Auckland Star, Volume LIII, Issue 251, 23 October 1922, Page 3

AFTER CARE OF PRISONERS.

I .- i SUB-NORMAL AND ABNORMAL, CASES. X f,,n!i.TfflOo was hp'.d this morning in Ist Matthew's Parish Hall the after carp of prisoners. Dr. A. II- Averill,! I Anglican Bishop of Auckland, presided. i Others present: Rev. K. C. Iliidd, Anfzh:.an Chaplain of Caols: liev. Father lioman t'atholi'- Chaplain: IleV. Orant Cwen. Mr. W. Hall of the Prisons , Board, Mr. C. l-itt'o. Society of St. Vincent *!'• Vaul a.nd member of the Prisoners' Aid Sock-.y. and Mr. W. M«tthew* i Assistant at the Anglican City I Miction, i Mi-s Haiiplian, official visitor for Christchurch, wa- introduced by the Bishop. who -ail the question of the after care of prisoners w.i- a most important mat- . ;>: to tlic welfare nf the community. iMie-t Ilauprhan delivered n brief address 1 . ' upon this question. She paid the after-. 1 oaro of prisoners was of great importance not oi.lv for the prisoners themselves,. hut in t'lP welfare of the community a--*. a whole. She said in Christchurch they found difficult.'- in petting some of those ty'.io wore discharged, to continue in work after a few month*. They often wmci to want a change, others lost their job-i nnd became di*courasred. she I found that woman after woman left I her work nftor ;l few month*. The trouble was. that «o few citizens "ere "'really interested in the prisoner." future I after they left paol. and. Mi~ Ba'ijrhan ! said, that he-vies what was done for the • j normal ca-cs, the need fur more care of I . I sub-normal, and abnormal ease*, was - ! v'tv {Treat. Sm , considered rhat reppoll- » the nee! :">r ni'T- , interest- in i ' suh-normul cix'S. She admitted that 1 , abnormal cases presented a much more s dilFicult [)ri»iii'-m. Where the ;.erv,» -v-- ■ I tern was not s'.ai.ie, moral responsibility - I was non-existent. Some -pecia! pro- : ' vision was require.! for mental defectives ■ ■ and abnormal <\ws. r; Mr. Ua'A said at the prison camps . I {treat results had born achieved with ■ ; first offender*, al'.iut 7-"> per cent, l.einc - reclaimed, but with habitual criminals 't littlo was done in the \vsv of permanent r reclamation. Mi-s Ttauu'han «aiil ir would not lie I \\;s.> [o put cases in injtitutions too far 1 away in tlie country. They -were ree moved 11■ •-■ -i from individual influence i wliici) might b* poo.!. 1: Mr. Bu id agreed with Miss Baughan " upon that point, lmf said t'ney should centre nearly all tli«"ir eiTorts o n the i" younjr. Tii(>r,> \va< not chance of i re. laiminjr thosp who had jrown old in >- crime. I pon leaving ti:e prison a man j wanted looking af'er with kindly inter!is<. and the pift of a lew shillings w.i = i not cn,.ii?ii. I Mr. lIhII said the Prions Board had advocated Something bom? done lor ' prisoners after they were releas.'d. j Th.. nUliop said what was really wanted I wa= interest in discharged prisonerß hy private individuals t.> convince them X that they w,. r o not otiWst". k - Mr. Little said more powers should Iw- I . granted private individuals to visit; „ prisons, so tl,p_\- could p.-t ill touch with „ people about to eume out. v Mis* P.a-.ighan Raid, .vhile she firmly . believed in relipion, it was no use. p it down tile tiiroat.s of prisom-rs ;• Sim found correspondence a way to t in touch n-ith them. The Hi>hop sai.l, while if was quite evident that w.methins rei|tiired to be done for subnormal and abnormal eases, all ni.itters required public interesr and funds to carry on the work. On the motion of Mr. Hudd. seconded by Mr. Little, it wns resolved that rhaplain-* should lie granted po'.vers to nam* individuals to have the. privileges of 1 chaplains, with a view to the after rare '■ of prisoners. It v.as further resolved, on the motion p of Miss Baushan. that there should lx> a *? medical examination of every delinquent upon admission to eaol. with a vi.w to ; determininc lii- or her deprep of respon-■ >ihilit-.-. p.l-o thaf ti>»:i- i, :mp»rativ.-. | need for ?..mc iiistitiltir-vi midway betWßen I p the pris.'i] and m.-utal ho?i>it,il*. I ■—■ i