TREATMENT OF PRISONERS.

Evening Star, Issue 6762, 29 November 1884, Page 2 (Supplement)

TREATMENT OF PRISONERS.

While in Melbourne Mr Howard- Vincent was questioned ontbe above i>wbjpot and replied u followato the qoeriespnt tehlm.:—• “ Would it not,an*wer, inpUoe.cf aentepoi tag certain jSSfiKHV,;, fojrtwelvo months, to adjudge,, th#e monthaVcflufifiPf meat and .nine rtpontb* • police aupeifvjsjwata the country, perhspa under rawigumeirt to employers, anohae farmersandfreeleledors, the principle of / coDdtiioMd. libeflltlQß-’ior freedom under supetyiaiou having-.worked so-weU in the oaae of 'tbe lopg-centenoed ■oonvicte?” /'Philanthropy m»»t f ,:tm essentially, praptjoal tofce effective.., Itmmt recognise that while men’s good obavaeteie latecs are , developed thpjr evil tendencies !mnst,be^«»traii)irf ; ihffPdjr: .Withr 1,600 persons at .large in sentence of pplioe aupervision, 1 always Paid to them .individually* i collectively* iond inpractice :!, ‘ Obey the. lawj, bo tapes* and Industrious, and I will help yon with moneys influence, and alleviation pi the legabwqnlrements; but show any contrary <tispo«Uor»v and I will spare neither post norenergy nor effjrt tp brlng yon to justice andoendlgn punUbmept.' Il imprisonment is necessary at all, it mast be tborpngh and elective; but I am opposed to It for first. cflencesi Wat -the production of * criminal , mind, e j/., 'light forgery tr embezzlement under temptattoiv petty larceny, concealment of birth,.elc , and think the Massachusetts system. tfe ' probation 1 far better suited . fpr such cases.” , • * : “Is there, any valid reason why lhe advantages of epandlngundcr reformatorytreatment in a 1 refuge ' the last six or threemonths of their sentence should not l fce extended to short sentence female prisoners,: the system > having worked sp -well In the c jsa.of the long*senteq£e ooftviot Women l”-- ; “Not that 1 am aware of. 1 think it probable that the influences for .good in a ‘ refnge ’ operate more beneficially on women than on men, and that the former fetl imprisonment more keenly,” A summarised report by the probation officer at Beaton, of five years’ work, 1879’ 1883, concerning the probation sjstem in Massaohu'etts is as follows:—' Nomber «f perrons taken in care during. the_ five year., 2,803; number of oases disposed of during the five years, 2 561; number remaining in' care, December 31,1883, 242. Result in cases disposed of:-Done well and■ dis-■ charged, or caps dismissed, 1 548,; sent to country homes, oases laid on file; 558; sent to charity homes, oases laid on file, 131; sent to sea, oases laid on file, 52; died before the term of probation expired, 5 ; did not improve, and were surrenders i for sentence, 223; ran away to etcapo surrender and sentence, 44; number improved, 2,291;