INDETERMINATE SENTENCES.

Evening Post, Volume LXXII, Issue 133, 3 December 1906, Page 7

INDETERMINATE SENTENCES.

• TREATMENT OF HABITUAL CRIMINALS. The Minister for Justice, speaking to tho Wellington correspondent of the Lyttelton Times with reference to the alleged delay in bringing Uio Habitual Criminals Act of last session into force, stated that tho question of establishing a prison reformatory and framing regulations under the Act is now engaging attention, no says that tin intention of tho Act was. that detention in a reformatory prisori should not begin until the expiration of the sentonce of imprisonment ; that is to say a prisoner who is declared by the court to bo an habitual criminal should bo sentenced for tho crime of which he is convicted in the ordinary way, and on the termination of his sentence, instead of being released should be transferred to a special institution where he will bo contined until he shows by his conduct that ho can be released without danger to society. The treatment in the institution will Lie of a reformatory character. From tho departmental point of view thero is no need for tho immediate establishment of such an institution. It has been suggested that a separato tree planting camp should be set upa.it for the habitual criminal class. Another suggestion is that an island should bo obtained. Xbthing definite has yet been decided upon, but tho department is alive to tho necessities of the situation. It is recognised that herding liubitnal criminals in an ordinary gaol will not meet the case ; they must bo placed somewhere where they may bo occupied in usoful open air work and where their surroundings will oporato to improve their moral as well as their physical tone. "The experiment," addod tlju Minister, "will be a yory interesting one, and will depend for. its success upon the administration of tho reformatories. If wo can get the right mun there is overy chance of success. I hope that wq shall not bo expected to provide an- institution for a year or so, and that- sentences will bo so arranged as to give us a little timo to 'select a suitable place for the re. formatory and to pfiuyj.it properly.,"-