TREATMENT OF PRISONERS.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 292, 3 September 1908, Page 7

TREATMENT OF PRISONERS.

REMAKES BY BISHOP JULIUS. NEED • FOR; CLASSIFICATION. Chrlstohuroh, September 2. At the . annual", meeting of the Prison Gate Mission 'last night the chairman (Bishop Julius) said that in regard to our treatment of prisoners wo were more empirical than in any other social matter. No approach had been made towards the remedial treatment of criminals. - They ; put away prisoners for the sake of society, but they cortainly failed to regenerate:them or to mako thorn better men and women. It had always been the habit of tho Church of Christ to take things' as she found'them, under any form or condition of government. She had slowly influenced the .ininds of men in many social questions,' but it was always her first business to take things as she found them, and to do the best'for the souls of men. Very few were satisfied with the present criminal laws, and- most believed that better solutions of the . problem than those already aimed at were available. The first thing was to help the unfortunate men in the position in which they found themselves placed. Their little society was doing its work quietlj, but riono the less .effectively. While tlio organisation, did not receive very wide support, still it drew hearty assistance from those who folt for. the souls of their less fortunate brethren. There should be some means of following, up ;'the disoliarged prisoners, and of handing them over to others who would take a kindly interest in thoir welfare.

Mr. T. I. Smail, lay evangelist, said thero could be no effective reform without effective classification. ..It was'fair to state that the Minister for Justice was unablo to carry out more effective classification so long as the attempt was confined to the four chief centres. They must have space, to classify, and for this purpose the second-class prisons should bo utilised. So far as Canterbury was concerned, first offenders and prisoners awaiting trial should be sent to Timaru. Tho tree-planting men should be tried on oaaier conditions at Timaru before being sent out. Where the real need for classification occurred' 1 was at the tree-planting camps. Just before, the men completed their sentences they should'be kept moving from hut to hut, always getting nearer the class of company likely to do them good. A great factor in presenting the production of young criminals would be-to raise .the age up to Which youths \ might be detained in reformatories from 18 to 19, instead of tumbling them. into a common gaol, where, perhaps, they might r be ruined owing to there being insufficient room for" proper classification. At that ago one year made all the difference. Reformatory, treatment, on account ■ of the! possibilities for specialising, was moro humano' than that of the common gaols. The question, of course, was what to do with their present means. It was impossible to classify with only .four large prisons in general, use. Objection might Be raised on the score Of espense, but that consideration should not be allowed to weigh so long as it was possible to reform, the criminal and restore him to a useful place in society. Power also should be givon to detain incorrigibles in reformatories until they shgwed signs of improvement. They had tho indeterminate sonterico for adult criminals, and something of tho same sort in the treatment of . the younger people 'who have gone astray would be productive of good results. He thought also that the system ti marks in prisons might be improved in •>he direction of offering inducements to prisoners to raise thomselves to higher grades of classification.