OUR PRISONS.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 429, 11 February 1909, Page 8

OUR PRISONS.

REFORMS FORESHADOWED BY MINI STE

REFORMATORY TREATMENT OF PRISONERS.

VISIT TO TREE-PLANTING CAMP. The Son.' Dr. Findlay; Minister for Justice,; and Minister in charge of the Police and Prisons Departments, returned to Wellington from Auckland on Tuesday evening. During his northern trip he inspected the prison .at Mount Eden, Auckland, the Waiotapu prison camp, and the Salvation Army Inebriate Home on an island'in the Haiiraki Gulf. Dr. -Findlay was very pleased with the reformative work being carried out at the island. The men are removed from temptation, they live_a healthy outdoor life, and the Minister promised to recommend remission of the; sentences of those who by their con-: tinued.good conduct gave,evidence that they could bo trusted to resume, place.amongst their fellows. ''"' .':,-.

The visit of the Minister for Justice-to tho Auckland Gaol" was part, of a plan; he has formed -for-making- a thorough investigation into .the conditions of all the prisons, in the ' Dominion, with the view. of recommending the Government to adopt certain far-reaching reforms in-.prison administration and'. treatriiont of prisoners. His'intention is to .have i some. immediate improvements 'effected:.in the,interna],arrangements of certain gaols. The changes he has in view: will, he : conn-. l/dontly expects,; result in much, good being !■ done .'at a. less/cost than, under, the present system. It -is intended "that a.more rational method'of dealing with complaints of;prisoners shall shortly bo adopted.; '/. ■■-. Tree-Planting Camp. ■ ;-,"ln the course of an interview with a repre-, ; sentative of. -'-.The Dominion, Dr. Firidlay said:—"l made a special visit' on Saturday afternoon last-to'the prison camp-at Waiotapu,'so that the. prisoners ; should 'be all there. About half of them had applications tomake to me,' and these' I.h'ear^—thus 6b-: tainirig at first hand some ide'a.bf the class of inen : tlicy/were;... None of, tlie;.applications, .were based; upon .'any complaint's regarding ■ the, prisoners were .receiving. ;These/, applications were mainly for leave to petition : lor remission of.'sentence ori -the ground; .of good "conduct. . ! , './- vv • ."The'wqrkdone.bythese prisoners is excellent, both in: its quantity and ' its quality. million, trees were '.planted last year, .and, in a-.few, years,' at tlie /present rate of :afforestati6n, the somewhat bare and unatitractivo landscape . between Rotorua and . Waiotapu will, be beautified by a continuous forest of fine larch. Theprison.ers: have the advantage of daily/ witnessing /the results of; their own work, combined With .nature's help, arid; already ' one can, see for' ■some miles rows-of trees—some" now of considerable height'and'sturdiness.. Treating the work on a commercial basis, and estimat-' 'ing the. profit; which .'will result from ' these • t^ e , s .' a ß » f 6W ;'years-oh the .lowest sum that prorit is likely to-be—the' prisoner's' work at ■ \\aiotapu_ and other camps is more than pay"?S for itself..; It is- unnecessary-to emphasise the'influence upon the better, class'of -prisoners of this kind of work; There is nothing degrading in it/ The;prisoner feelsthat -he is doing useful and profitable work: arid trie; absence, of /that prison-waH.confinenientx whichis essential in the city/and other gaols' ,does not reb him of that measure of selfrespect which is essential to reformation

Effects of Special Treatment.

; .The ; ; conditions Vro' wholly; different' from :tnoso or/gaol- imprisonment; '-.-' Every four prisoners have .what may be: called; a : small' cottage,,in.which there are four 'beds and a stove J.heso .cottages are comfortable. All were-.tidy, and the walls of several' showed some artistic taste on the part of .the occu-' pants,, From ■ the,nature of the work thoy do, and lndeed.-of the prison-camp system itself the prisoners are trusted to keep within the bounds ;.in other words, there are no real pnysicaj restraints upon-;their libcrty-at-any' .rate, duringthe.,day-time. ~ At, night, of course, they ;are under look/and key. , ■:■ Notwithstanding tliW, and.considering the yery largo number of, prisoners' who |avo passed through these .-prison'camps'.'very few' indeed haveattempte-V.to escape ; and in h6 case t has any-prisoner ■ who has: escaped - attempted to personal violence.':: I made inquiry from; those living, in :the locality to .their : reported- -apprehension' of escaped prisoners doing.harm, and I- was told thai .those apprehensions, were 'imaginary' Tim prisoners are-afforded light up. to eight o'clock on winter evenings for the" purpose' of reading or other employment.. And here nature has provided a hot bath-of which the wis oners: were taking full advantage when I visited the Waiotapu camp. . •' . ' hin? 1 °! th ' e ??■ P ri ?°n-cainps' v have ■been -so, satisfactory .that I'am encouraged Aot oniy do the.healthy surroundings, the r/ k d ? n ?''H d '* l »? conditions I havellready referred, to .tend-to improve', the..prisoner* 'fnnnH I ° a n P f V* f °™; a further, beneficia SwTV °« y '■E« ld -*»ndiiot .'prisoners- areselected, for these-camps, and'many of the gaol, prisoners are. encouraged to win tho highest number; of .good-conduct marks in order to- a transfer from' gaol to the camp , Moreover, -once' at - the camp, a high standard of good conduct must be maintained .or:.tho prisoner, is: sent,back to'one of the gaols. Ihese indirect infineuces, lam told are. both powerful and widespread. -' . . '

Roform in Prison System,

_ The success of our pr.son camps impresses me farther with the belief that our whole present pmon . system requires. exteS along t1, 6 hn eg f . reformative; treS ' rather than punitive treatment. ' The subject ■Swi« tT !. ;eweedfi W"y- difficult one, and while ,1/liave. donea of .reading in ZZ m h l an * Lr . o P°l°gy.'■ jn its" different branches, and in connection with -prison reform, i do not. ntend to'submit to the Goyernmont any radical changes until Ihave vwited. at. leart. all the- principal carefully inspected , the ; conditions P -ffi of mm are ] .tiie - character ot:the ceU.accommodation, tie-light allowed and 'generally the .character of g t he prLn!' and the discipline., imposed. Already I have found,that the severity-of, prison' life nS sar,ly'd,tfers markedly in New Zealand/wfth the-prison in which for the time being the are.- incarcerated. ■ ■■'■■■'.-..•' v When I feel I, have sufficiently qualified myself, I hope to submit proposals for the improvement.of ojir prison- system./ Formerlv we placed the lunatic Z\Z T? SeV °, reSt ; co »ditions-inc]Sd,g ™Lt i i„ a K asyI T has now become'the mental hospital;; and every' civilised, progressive country begins .tosee that punishment m treatment of our criminals ess importantthaii reformative treatmeht.'. I db not overlook the act that to.a certain class of orimmal the : severest l>un,shment-is .essential j but our ' attitude towards, the .criminal class as a whole' is changing, and, must change; still further, until we. chiefly-regard him : as a fechve. rather than as 'a 'perfectly. normal responsible man whose' delinquencies must be squared m the community's books by corporal or other punishment. Prison reform is a work which stands above party politics, and'■'anyonewho genuine y tries to'proniote tliis'work may at least rely upon its impartial recbgmtion and encouragement by all :sections of" both tho people and the press. ! Encouraging Results. ' ■ "What'encourages the Minister tor Justice, in conclusion, "is that I have given some special' consideration to the results, and although there have been not a tow recidivates, the proportion of those-'who have'entirely reformed and taken a respectable,, and often a responsible, position 'in society again is exceedingly gratifying;".