GAOL AND ITS REGIME.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1176, 11 July 1911, Page 6

GAOL AND ITS REGIME.

SEVERE OR NOT? OPINIONS OF MR. W. W. COLLINS. (By Telegraph-Press Association.! Christchurch, July 10. Some new light was to-day thrown on the allegations made by Comrade Cooko regarding Lyttelton Gaol by Mr. W. W. Collins, who, for fifteen years, has been a visiting Justice at Lyttelton. . Mr. Collins has made a study of prison reform, and is strongly of opinion that the whole system should be directed towards tho reformation of the prisoner. Ho does not defend, and, indeed, is against the present system. Ho. said, however, that there were statements mado by Comrade Cooke which were absolutely incorrect. It was untrue that tho barbarous punishment of solitary confinement in a dark cell was one of the punishments meted out at Lyttelton. There, was no such thing as n dark cell, and no such punishment as solitary confinement. A man might be confined- to his. cell for a gross breach of prison discipline, and bo would be deprived of his night-light, and also of his tobacco. The confinement, however, could not bo described as "solitary." The man had to bo allowed out to the exerciso-yard every day. Punishment, as ho had said,'was not inflicted unless for exceedingly serious breaches of discipline. It was absolutely incorrect to say that visiting Justices based their punishment on the recommendation of the gaoler. A man charged with an offence had a trial, as he would before a Court, and he was entitled to call witnesses. It. sometimes happened that the gaoler would ask that leniency bo observed towards a man who had committed an offence, on tho ground that his previous conduct had been good. Comrade Cooke's detailed description of a'man suffering from pleurisy being put into a dark and solitary cell was next, touched on. Mr. Collins said that the, cell was not dark or solitary, and was not even in the punishment-yard. Tho man was put into the cell at his ow;n particular request, as he wished to bo in a place where be would get quietness, and be able to sleep better than ho would in his own cell. Mr. Collins sympathised with Comrade Cooke's condemnation of tho lack of classification. He considered it absolutely wrong that first offenders should have to associate with hardened criminals; It was wrong that Comrade Cooke, whoso offence was not a crime, should liavo to associate with criminals. Classification, however, would not be possiblo until the Government dealt more generously with the Prison Department. In some general observations, Mr. Collins remarked that it was incorrect to say that twenty per cent, of tho prisoners were suffering from bronchial troubles. The men were well fed with meat and vegetables. Tho food which the men got in gaol was better than many of them got when they were out of prison, and system generally bad no terrors for tho criminal. Ho had never once, during his fifteen years' experience, heard a complaint as to any insufficiency of blankets. Ho agreed, however, that there was much to do in the reform of the prison svstem. The lights in the cells went out at 8 p.m., and mado the nights very long. Something should be devised to enable tho prisoners to spnnd their spare timo in self-improvement, and ; their nights might be brightened up by self-instruction.