PRISON FARE IN DOMINION

Press, Volume LXXV, Issue 22805, 2 September 1939, Page 22

PRISON FARE IN DOMINION

BREAD AND SOLITARY CONFINEMENT ABOLITION SOUGHT BY DR. D. G. MCMILLAN fFrorh Our Parliamentary Reporter.] WELLINGTON. September 1. A plea for the abolition of. the bread diet and solitary confinement as punishment in New Zealand prisons was made by Dr. D. G. McMillan (Government. Dunedin West), during the discussion of • Estimates for the Department of Justice and Prisons in the House of Representatives to-day. Other speakers supported Dr. McMillan. “Everybody knows that in prisons it is necessary to have some form cf discipline and punishment,”' Dr. McMillan said, “but starving people, or giving them a diet which is incapable of sustaining health, belongs to the middle ages, and should be abolished. I make a plea for the abolition of bread and water punishment." Mr W. J. Poison (Opposition. Stratford); Slonny sentimentality. Dr. McMillan; On» may call it that; but I am satisfied that a majority of the people would not call it that. The abolition of solitary confinement was also advocated by Dr. McMillan. as well as better medical examination of prisoners. He was satisfied that when prisoners were sent to gaol the medical examination was very perfunctory, and should be a better and mor- thorough one. , The Minister for Justice, the Hon. H. G. R. Mason, said that solitary confinement was the standard practice in all prisons in the world: but in New Zealand it could be ordered only by visiting justices. Such confinement rriigh. not .exceed three days at a time, with a total of 14 days for an aggravated offence. Although solitary confinement was most infrequently used in New Zealand, it was necessary to have some form of punishment in reserve, Mr Mason added. If it should appear that there would be any danger to health, it wo’-M not be imposed.