Children being held in gaol

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32640, 23 June 1971, Page 2

Children being held in gaol

(New Zealand Pre,, Aeeoeiation)

AUCKLAND, June 22.

Children’s Court offenders are being sent to Mount Eden gaol on remand because child welfare homes are becoming overcrowded in Auckland.

The girls’ home in Mount Albert has insufficient beds, so girls have to sleep on mattresses on the floor.

District magistrates and child welfare division workers are known to be most concerned about the situation.

The Auckland district child welfare officer (Mr K. J. Flint), said that magistrates remanded children to Mount Eden only as a last resort. “There is always a ruling that the child be strictly segregated from adult offenders. I doubt if there would ever be more than three or four children there at any one time,” he said. Magistrates dealing with

Mona Vale

The Riccarton Borough Council last evening refused to pay $330 in survey fees and $609 in solicitors’ costs on the purchase of “Mona Vale.” The finance committee said it considered these amounts were included in the initial purchase price to which the council had contributed $lO,OOO. The council accepted a half-share with the City Council of $2530 paid for floor coverings and furnishings.

Children’s Court cases (under , 17) are normally able to send offenders to homes on remand before they are senI tenced, or for a term after sentence.

Because of the overcrowding, in many cases they are being sent back to the custody of their parents. Even this step is regarded as unsatisfactory.

In one case, children who had appeared before a magistrate and were sent home on remand before sentence the next week, committed another offence before they returned to the court

The overcrowding has arisen since a big increase in the numbers of child offenders coming before Auckland courts. In the year to December, 1969, this was 1100, but it is believed that this may have doubled in the last two years.

Mr Flint said that in order to alleviate the problem in some way an “overflow institution” for feirls had been opened in Ponsonby, catering for 20, and another home for 20 girls in Avondale was due to open sqon.

Some welfare officials doubt that even this can match the rise in Children’s Court offenders.