TREATMENT OF PRISONERS

Evening Post, Volume CII, Issue 35, 10 August 1921, Page 9

TREATMENT OF PRISONERS

INTERVIEW WITH SIR ROBERT STOUT

The Chief Justice of New Zealand, Sir Robert Stout, who has reoently been made a Privy Councillor and who is now revisiting England after an absence of many years, has had an unusually interesting judical experience (says the 'Manchester Guardian). It is 22 years since, fliter a. distinguished career as lawyer, member of the House of Representatives,; and Premier, he left the arena of politics to become Chief Magistrate of the Dominion, and during those years he has administered many laws which , ire in England discussed but still beyond the reach of social reformers.

Talking to a representative of the Manchester Guardian reoently, Sir Robert Stout touched, briefly on the working of some of theso laws. ■ The New Zealand Divorce Act years ago recognised more grounds for divorce than exist here, and succeeding* alterations have widened its scope. «. . ■

"Our law," said the Chief Juatioe, "it the same for men and women. We allow divorcee, oh the grounds of desertion for three years, of refusing to grant conjugal rights, of adultery, insanity, and on account of certain crimes. The war has brought more work to the Divorce Courts in Mew Zealand as here, and we have had to deal not only with the divorces, of soldiers and their wives, but with people in all classes of the community affected with the social unrest resulting from the war. Our law works very well., We do not find that it had led to any trouble.! The moral atmosphere qf. New Zealand is wholesome, our people are well-behaved, and marriage is respected." Sir Kobert added that while the Solicitor-General has va power of'intervention similar . to, that of the. King's Proctor here, he did not know of any case in which that power had had to be l\tsed.\ . ■ •, .

, Sir Robert Stout said that as yet no women served on Now Zealand juries, but he had no doubt their day' would come. , He did not seem much impressed by the information that in England a Bill was to be introduced giving women the right to refuse to serve. If a woman was a citizen, he said, she had a citizen's responsibilities. , . ' . . : : Public opinion in •■. New Zealand, he I said, . regards. an outrage on a child aa I a most serious offence. We em give a ! sentence of up to ten years' reformative j treatment. I do not know of any case where a man convicted of suoh a serious offence has been lot off with a trivial si?ntenoe." ■ • . ■ • ■ . TREATMENT OF PRISONERS. Sir Robert Stout had a 'good deal to say about, the methods of dealing with prisoners. ' Ho said: Our system works very well. If you teat il by the number of prisoners who commit offences again our results are not equalled anywhere in the world. The Probation Act has been in force 6inc'e 1836, and in 1911 an Act was. passod providing for reformative treatment, and wo find both these measures extremely faiocessful. I suppose not more than 10 or 12 per oent. of those who have been put on ■ probation commit, offences again. Tho 1911 Aot set up a Prison Board, consisting of Beven persons, il have been president since its formation. Tho other members are representatives of the mental hospitals, prisons, and Justice Department, and three representative citizens. Theboard meets several- times a year, and it must see at least once a year each prisoner who has been sentenced to reformative treatment. He oome? before the board, and it discusses his conduct in gaol. It can recommend the 'reduction of a sentence, even so far ac, reoommending that a man who has been sentenced to 6even years' reformative treatment should have it reduced to three months, and be put on probation. We have hardly ever had to refuse a mitigation of the sentence, continued Sir Robert, and generally we can. let the man out on probation. All classos of offences up to manslaughter may be dealt with by the /reformative sentence and the Prison Board, even when a man is serving a sentence of imprisonment with h*id labour. Under the other system .of the "indeterminate sentence," which is only imposed where there have been four previous oonvictions or two convictions for serious offences, the prisoner may be released on probation, but if he commits another offence he goes back fo prison without further sentence. Sometimes he is released on probation several times. As far ad possible, prisoners are set to outdoor work, farming, tree-planting, and so yon. They have farms in several districts, one of 2000 acres. About fiftyseven million trees have been planted by prisoners. The outside work is of enormous benefit to the men. Their appetites and their weight increase. They work well, harder than ordinary men. Very few have to be punished for slacking. They know that their conduct is watched, and that if the Prison Board sees fit they will be released and work found for them. Their prison life trains them to work well, and people are always willing to employ them.