COUNCIL OF WOMEN.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVIII, Issue 98, 27 April 1937, Page 15

COUNCIL OF WOMEN.

REPORT ON PRISONS.

I MONTHLY MEETING HELD. A remit from the T&maki Women's ; Progressive league, urging the Auekj land branch of the National Council of I Women to go into the matter of prison reform, wa<s recently referred to the civic and national committees of the council to study the question, and at tile monthly meeting, held last night, over which the president, Miss Ellen Melville, presided, the committees presented its report. The committee studied first the present position of the law with regard to habitual criminals. "It appears, as a result of our study that more formalities should be observed before any person can be declared an habitual offender or habitual criminal, and that once any person has been eo declared he should be given fuller opportunities of re-establishing himself as a respectable citizen. As the law now stande, a person may be declared an habitual offender or habitual criminal after his first appearance before the Court. He must have been convicted of j several offences, varying in number according to the nature or class of the offence, but the convictions may all be recorded on the same day. No magistrate or justice has power to declare any person an habitual offender , or | habitual criminal, but he may order i that such person be brought before the .Supreme Court or a judge thereof to be declared an habitual offender." The committee recommended that, in view of the seriousness of declaring persons habitual criminal offenders, that amending legislation l>e sought to provide that no person shall be declared an habitual criminal or habitual offender until after conviction or indictment, and then only if (1) a charge of being an habitual criminal is Included in the indictment, or (2) not less than seven days' previous notice of intention to charge him by indictment with being an habitual criminal has been given to the accused, such notice to epeerify the ground« upon which it is intended, to found the charge. It was noted that this would give an accused person an opportunity to defend himself not only against the charge contained in an indictment, but also against the charge of being an habitual criminal. I

In view of the fact that the Prisons Board (consisting of seven members) for the year ended December 31, 1935, dealt wjth 13.39 cases at 14 meetings, held at various institutions, and that from statements made it appears that each prisoner is allowed only about three minutes in which to state his case before the board, no counsel being allowed to represent him, the committee recommend*: (1) With regard to review of cases of habitual criminals and habitual offenders and persons sentenced to reformative detention by the Prisons Hoard, that legislation be eought to enable such prisoner* to Iμ , represented by counsel when their case is being reviewed by the Prisons Hoard;

that the provisions tor the supply of counsel to indigent persons shall that the prisoner and his counsel be entitled to have access to the report of the prison authorities on liis case; and that district prisons boards be established, each to be responsible for institutions in its own district. The report was referred to the various societies for consideration, after which it will again l>e brought before the council. Among other business, a remit dealing with the subject of a hostel for backward children was passed.