Plans For Prisons In Christchurch

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 32166, 9 December 1969, Page 1

Plans For Prisons In Christchurch

The plans for the new women’s prison at Christchurch had almost reached the stage where tenders could be called, and plans were well under way for the new medium-security wing at Paparua, the Secretary of Justice (Dr J. L. Robson) said in Christchurch yesterday.

The prison service was passing through its most interesting and vital time, said Dr J. L. Robson, who was presenting long-service awards to prison officers.

New institutions at Auckland and Witako were filling a long-standing need for the types of accommodation and treatment they offered, and Wanganui’s new Borstal was supplementing the treatment Which had been found successful at Waipiata.

Dr Robson said he hoped ; it would not be too long be- , fore the department had a ' youth institution at Palmerston North. ' The new South Island de- ’ tention centre, he said, would '■ be in Christchurch and might ’ be at Paparua. "Looking into the future, we intend to build a new remand and short-sentence in- ! stitution on the same site at [ Mount Eden, build a new | prison to replace the present building at Napier and construct a medium-security prison alongside the new maximum-security institution at Paremoremo,” Dr Robson said. “We have plans to extend our hostels and our periodic detention work centres, and to build three more open Borstals during the next few years. These Borstals, at Auckland, Wellington, and Invercargill, will each take up to 60 trainees.” Dr Robson said he considered that small institutions offered the best hope of successfully rehabilitating offenders into society and they, were easier to control. Open Institutions were less expensive to run and offered a better envirohment for reformative work. “Though it is depressing to realise that no penal measures have ever been found completely successful, we (members of the prison service) should remember that we are under an obligation to do our best to keep seeking for solutions.” Dr Robson (left) is shown congratulating the deputy superintendent of Paparua Prison (Mr J. O. Cruse) on receiving an award for 21 years service. In the middle is Mr P. G. Brown, who received the same award. Five other officers also received ' awards.