“Insight” on Sunday

Press, Volume CXV, Issue 33941, 6 September 1975, Page 5

“Insight” on Sunday

l That unique feature of )! Nbw Zealand’s penal system, [ periodic detention is the [ subject of this week’s “Insight ’75” documentry on Radio New Zealand’s national programme at 10.05 a.m. tomorrow with a repeat at 9.45 p.m. on Monday. ! Thanks to the drive and initiative of the then Secretary of Justice, Dr J. L. Robson, supported by the late Ralph Hannah, as Minister off Justice, periodic detention as a new kind of sentence for criminal offences came into effect in 1962. Originally it was applied to young offenders between 15 and 21, and was designed to provide an alternative to Borstal and imprisonment. It required those sentenced to attend periodic detention centres a certain number of times each week, and usually involved spending the week-ends in custody, working under supervision. Later the centres were extended to cater for adults too, and recently the first periodic detention centre for women was established at Epsom in Auckland. For “Insight ’75”. Cherry ’ Raymond in Auckland has been looking into the work of the detention centres and talking to some of those attending them and involved in running them as well as to those handing down sentences of periodic detention.