RIGHTS OF INDIVIDUAL

Press, Volume CV, Issue 30998, 2 March 1966, Page 6

RIGHTS OF INDIVIDUAL

Court System Review

(N.Z. Press Association)

INVERCARGILL. Mar. 1

A warning against complacency was issued in Invercargill today by the AttorneyGeneral, Mr Hanan, in a speech to the Federation of the Justices of the Peace Association.

“We must keep constant watch over our legal system to ensure that it is kept in line with present-day concepts of justice, and with the respect which must be paid to the rights of the individual,” he said. A growing body of opinion believed there was need for a thorough review of the functioning of the courts, Mr Hanan said.

“It is suggested that the treatment of accused persons is inconsistent with the cherished concept of our legal system—that a person is innocent until guilt is determined by the Court.”

Critics maintained that far too many people were losing their liberty before trial and when detained in custody on remand were held under conditions not appropriate for people who were not convicted. Mr Hanan told the federation that he proposed to press for a thorough review of the country’s Court system.

“We have a system of justice that we can be proud of but we must not delude ourselves that improvements cannot be made,” he said.