Judge criticises judge

Press, 18 March 1982, Page 6

Judge criticises judge

A statement by a former chief ' magistrate < in Christchurch saying that the Justice Department, was “full of do-gooders” and that prison sentences were “holidays” for inmates did not reflect the opinion of the present District Court judges, said the Chief District Court judge, Judge Sullivan, from Wellington yesterday. “Such punitive views are a relic of our colonial past,” he said. V

Judge Sullivan was replying to a statement made on Tuesday evening by Judge Brown, who is head of the Air Services. Licensing Authority, the Transport Licensing Authority, and Air Charges Appeal Authority. Speaking at a meeting of the Returned Services’ Association, Judge Brown said conditions in prisons had to be “hardened up,” and that one way of making prison conditions harder was to have prisoners breaking stones.

“It is imperative that adequate sentences be imposed for'those convicted of serious crimes,” he said.? Imprisonment was the most serious and relevant penalty for . serious crimes, “The Secretary for Justice is opposed to imprisonment. He says that it does not reformthe offender. It has been forgotten that it was not meant to reform the offender. It is a loss of liberty,” Judge Brown said. Judge Sullivan said that while he agreed that some offenders had to be imprisoned for a long term to protect the public, the great majority of offenders must learn to live in the community, accepting their responsibility not only to maintain themselves but their families. “The expense of maintaining an offender in prison can exceed $lB,OOO a year. The success in recent years of non-custodial sentences, even

in respect of serious offences, is proof of the wisdom of the policy of making offenders face up to their responsibilities within the community,” Judge Sullivan said. “Judge Brown can only be expressing a personal view which is limited by the fact that for quite some years he has had no experience in criminal courts, nor has he had first-hand experience with many changes in penal policy and the comparative success of new programmes." The task of officers of the Justice Department was made no easier by the criticism levelled at them by Judge. Bro.wn, said Judge Sullivan. “They have and deserve the support of District Court judges.” If Judge Brown held such views he should have made them known to the Penal Policy Review Committee, chaired by Judge Casey, last year, he said.