Scheme For Detention Centre Irks Resident

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30782, 21 June 1965, Page 1

Scheme For Detention Centre Irks Resident

A two-storey house in the middle of a quiet residential area in St. Albans, with two homes for elderly people, a home for the blind and young women living in flats was no place for the Government to put a “gaol,” Mr L. J. Morris, a retired bank manager, of Ranfurly street, St. Albans, said yesterday.

“We will be getting potential borstal people to start with,” said Mr Morris. “This is no place for a ‘gaol’.” Mr Morris was commenting on the purchase by the Government of a two-storey house, with 15 rooms, at 74 Bristol street, St. Albans, for a periodic detention centre. Mr Morris lives immediately behind the proposed detention centre. The windows of the centre could look directly on to his property, he said. “I’ve had people ringing me up this morning saying lodgers are going to leave,” he said. “Young ladies are living there.”

The establishment of a detention centre in Bristol street would cause property in the area to slump by from £lOOO to £2OOO for each house, he said. “You know what these lads can do,” said Mr Morris. “There is nothing you can put past them.” “Borstal People” A magistrate, describing the type of youths who would be ordered to attend the centre, had called them “irresponsible,” “work lazy,” “undisciplined.” “arrogant,” and “aggressive." Mr Morris said.

The magistrate had also obey ‘the warden*' tfiey“ woHfd be sent to borstal.

“We will be getting potential borstal people to start with,” he said. “It’s not a case of the devil you do know, it is a case of the devil you don’t know.” Within “sight, sound and touch” of the proposed deten-

lion centre were five homes of professional persons, including two retired bank managers, an optician, < widow and a farmer

People in nursing homes in the area, he said, were “scared stiff" of anything like this happening.

“Not Told" The member of Parliament for St. Albans (Mr H. J Walker), said Mr Morris, was very annoyed about the issue “He was not told anything about it," said Mr Morris. “It was done under the hat.

“We are seeing solicitors about it.

“We’re not just spilling the beans yet you see. It is nc good telling the Government you are getting solicitors against them. The courts are all loaded to start with.” Mr Morris said "unknown quantities” were being pushed into a residential area.

It might be possible to correct one or two of the boys, but if half a dozen were put together they ganged up

“Close to Houses" “This is only a compara lively small section. The house is very close to houses like ours,” he said Mr Morris said that if the detention centre had been an “ordinary thing” it would have had to go before regional zoning authorities.

“This being the Government, they are not subject to all these tilings." he said. He was in sympathy with the scheme, as a scheme for helping the lads, said Mr Morris. But they needed to lie housed in a proper place with plenty of room to “let off steam.” “As it is, you don’t know who you are getting.” he said. Met Deputation The president of the St. Albans electorate of the National Party (Mr K. A. Gough) yesterday said that Mr Walker had met a deputation of St. Albans residents, who had expressed concern that a work centre for offenders sentenced to periodic detention instead of imprisonment was to be established in a closely settled residential area.

Mr Gough said tliat the deputation of St. Albans residents thought they were entitled to assume that no departure from residential settlement in such a locality would be undertaken, especially by the Crown, without seeking their consent, as was usual in town planning procedures. Presentation of a petition for reconsideration of the decision was discussed at the meeting with Mr Walker, and Mr Walker undertook, on behalf of his constituents, to present the petition to Parliament.