Chaplain Urges More Suppression Of Names

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30543, 11 September 1964, Page 8

Chaplain Urges More Suppression Of Names

(New Zealand Press Association)

AUCKLAND. Sept. 10. There was a need for much more suppression of names in the court, particularly in the case of young girl offenders; the Rev. Father L. McAteer, chaplain of the Arohata Borstal, Wellington, told the Roman Catholic Prison Chaplin’s Conference today. “The loss of good name is critical for young girls, he said. “Seeing that their crime often stems from the unfortunate background of their lives, over which they have had no control, it seems an unnecessary burden for them to carry through life. This is more so if they come from a smaller town.” “I can’t see that the publication of court proceedings does any one any good,” Father McAteer said. “The sizeable proportion of our daily papers taken up by court proceedings and exciting headlines gives an entirely wrong view of life and places an emphasis on

crime. We must agree that newspapers do these girls a disservice and make their rehabilitation harder. “I have seen accounts of sexual aberrations in some papers which read like a cheap sexy novel with beauti. ful girls seducing and being seduced. Within days I have met the girls concerned and found them poor, unwashed, miserable wretches to whom you wouldn’t give a second look if you passed them in the street.

“With this it is the reading public who are deceived and given a false glamourised view of what happened.” He suggested that the conference give the matter thought and perhaps submit a request for more suppression of names to the Justice Department.