Detention For Adults

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31089, 18 June 1966, Page 3

Detention For Adults

(N.Z. Press Association) WELLINGTON, June 17. Periodic detention for adult offenders will be possible under the Criminal Justice Amendment Bill introduced in Parliament today.

The Attorney-General (Mr Hanan) said earlier this year that he had in mind special week-end confinement of such offenders as drunken drivers, petty thieves and possibly debtors. The legislation he introduced today paves the way for such sentences. Mr Hanan said the sentences would have to be introduced gradually, if for no other reason than that the Justice Department had so far established only a few special periodic detention work centres and these were for minors.

Further accommodation would have to be provided, Mr Hanan said. “I envisage that separate detention work centres will be provided for older offenders later on.” Periodic detention, an innovation in New Zealand, since copied in some countries abroad, was introduced in 1962.

Under present law, it is available as a sentence only on those aged between 15 and 21, who have not previously been sentenced to detention, Borstal training or imprisonment of a month or more. The new legislation removes the upper age limit. Adults may be sentenced to periodic detention irrespective of previous sentences. From October 1, the Supreme Court will have power, already held by the Magistrate’s Court, to impose periodic detention for up to 12 months in cases of default on fines where imprisonment would otherwise be possible. The bill sets out no specific offences for which parttime attendance at work centres may be ordered. Generally, the sentence will

be available to courts ait their discretion for any offence for which a prison sentence proper may be imposed. “The measure gives courts another weapon, another tool, with which to deal with offenders,” Mr Hanan said. “It will cover cases where imprisoning a person with hardened criminals might not be justified but where simple imposition of a fine may be deemed too lenient.” The bill incorporates one other major provision. It will prevent police proceedings against persons for misdemeanours being instituted more than 10 years after the commission of the alleged offence without the prior consent of the Attorney-General.

Offences involved will be those punishable only by a maximum fine of less than £lOO or imprisonment for less than a year. The provision will take effect on January 1 and will apply to any of the qualifying offences allegedly committed in the past. Other special statutory limitations of less than 10 years on proceedings will continue to apply. “The law of our land is that the police are obliged to take action no matter how many years may have elapsed since an offence may have been committed.”

Mr Hanan gave as an example the case of a man who had made a false statement to secure an unemployment benefit and had been prosecuted 17 years later. He had in the meantime shown himself to be a decent citizen and a case could be made for protecting his wife and family from the shame of the prosecution.

Switchboard Fire.—A small fire in the switchboard at the premises of E. W. Pidgeon, Ltd., 228 Tuam street, at 1 p.m. yesterday caused rip damage. Headquarters station firemen attended.