THE PRISONS BOARD.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1131, 19 May 1911, Page 4

THE PRISONS BOARD.

A MEETING IN WELLINGTON

The Prisons Board met yesterday moh» in;,' in Wellington. Tho Chief Justice (Sir Robert Stout) presided. No further information was obtainable by tho press. The official members of the board (m addition to the president) aro Mr. I\ G, Waldogravc (Under-Secretory for Justice), and Ur. Hay (Inspector-General of Menlol Hospitals and Prisons). There is also one lay, or unofficial, member in each of tho four chief cities, the Wellington member being Mr. J. R. Blair. Tho principal function of the Prisons Board is to examine the case of each, prisoner detained under an indeterminate sentence. At the time the board was constituted, the Minister for Justice (the Ifou. Dr. F.indlar) said it wouldbcar ap. plications from prisoners so detained, and. would, no doubt, deal with them regularly it. short intervals. "Tho importance of the Prisons Board can te-arcely be over-estimated," continued Dr. Fimllay. "A Judge committing a prisoner to an indeterminate sentence, dc clares, in effect, that ho shall be detained so long as the Prisons Board thinks noccswiry for the purpose of his information, and for the protection of society. Thus tho board is one of the essential, pivots of the whole system. Another exceedingly important branch of its duties is that connected with probation. The now Act provide* for a greatly extended probation system, and tl>e control and ndnnnHtrat'ion of that system is vested in the interns Board." The Minister also Mid. on the Mm* occasion, ibat the bnard would nrotalily have one or two preliminary meetings in Wclliiiffion to determine the EW.eral linos of proewvnro-a mailer in which the Act left it a free hand. Tlip General idea was that the bonnl would have niceliiiM in encii of the fo«r centres at which the Chief Justice or feme oilier Judgo would preside, and thorn Wild ho present one or both of the official members and th« lay member livinsr m tho centre whew the meeting is held.