Prisons 100 soft’

Press, 13 June 1978, Page 2

Prisons 100 soft’

Jail was “not an unpleasant existence," it lacked / only women and strict dis-| cipline. the committee was told. "The prisoner should not 1 be denied the chance toi rehabilitate himself, but the! indulgence extended to in-j mates at present is rehabi-’ 1 li tat ion gone mad,” Mr Bunt said. Jail should become a pen-; alty, instead of providing, better living conditions than many offenders could expect I, “outside." “It is no wonder that 70 per cent of inmates are re- ■ offenders,” said Mr Brunt. To some, jail was a com- 1 fonable way of avoiding responsibility. he said. Brutal- 1 ity or over-harsh prison conditions were out of the ques-1 tion, but a return to plain living, hard work, and strict h

discipline in jails was long j overdue. To counter the problem of over-crowding in New Zealand prisons, thought should 'be given to the building of! i “prison camp” type com-i ! pounds consisting of huts i surrounded by electrified I wire fences. “Adequacy is all that violent offenders deserve, and such complexes would be less of a burden on the taxi payer, in terms of capital I cost.” said Mr Brunt. He also criticised the "soft line” being taken by magistrates and judges in dealing with criminals — particularly' violent offenders. Inadequate sentences brought the courts into public disrepute, and also weakened police moral. “Officers can spend weeks i lor months on an in-1

I vestigation, only to find that when they bring it to a successful conclusion, the sen- ; tence given is quite unrealistic,” said Mr Brunt. j “Anyone, sane or other- | wise, who is a proven threat |to the community must be !put away for good,” he said.

Mr Brunt said there was! no short-term answer to the I crime problem. The anti-' social, anti-authority, and apathetic attitudes which were a major cause of present problems had developed over many years. “Only a long and comprehensive programme of reeducation on moral standards and civic responsibility has any chance of succeeding, and the necessary change of attitude could take 20 to 30 years,” said Mr Brunt.