Greymouth Evening Star. AND BRUNNERTON ADVOCATE. TUESDAY MAY 21st 1907. GIVE HIM A CHANCE!

Greymouth Evening Star, 21 May 1907, Page 2

Greymouth Evening Star. AND BRUNNERTON ADVOCATE. TUESDAY MAY 21st 1907. GIVE HIM A CHANCE!

Every man and woman has a right to get a chance of reforming. Yet it is a question if our mode ot dealing with criminals gives an erring man or woman that chance of reform that he or she is entitled to. General Booth—one of the world’s greatest philantrophists—has taken the matter in hand in a thoroughly practical manner. Prison brigades have been established by him, through the agency of the Salvation Army, in all parts ot the world. These brigades are doing an immense l amount of good, and although every attempt at improvement has not been a success, there is undoubted evidence of many cases of reformation of a permanent character being made. It is surely reasonable to contend that a prisoner, having completed his punishment, should become in the fuller acceptation of the word a free man, and have equal opportunities with others in earning an honest livelihood and becoming a useful member of society. Mr Justice Cooper has addressed himself to the complex problem—complex only on account of the present state- of society, for it is next to impossible in the pre-

Jnt condition of the public mind that man who has the stain of a term of nprisonment on him should be ad- J litte'd into society as if he had never n een tainted, even when he has atoned e nd reformed. But, although it is npossible as things are, it is a "con- v ummation devoutly to be wished." 8 lis Honor at Wellington the other ' ay said :—"The way of the transressor is hard indeed. There is no fc oubt whatever that when a man or V ,'oman has committed a breach of the l riminal law it is very difficult for ither the one or the other to retrace 1 he false steps that have been taken, t specially when that person has un : ortunately obtained the reputation of , >eing a bad character. It is exceed- , ngly difficult, if such persons desire t o rehabilitate themselves in the mind j >f the .community, to do so. No doubt t n our present state of civilisation this s so because those who have brought j hemselves within the scope of the ( nominal law find it almost impossible j io regain their lost characters, to raise < themselves up again and obtain hon- ( >st employment. It is very much easier, for a man to fall than it is to up- ,■ lift himself. That is one of the ele- I ments of our social condition which no doubt time will rectify. It is held by many people that it may not always be considered by the great majority of the community that a man who has once been a criminal must necessarily always be a criminal I believe myself. a.nd so do others, that the worst man may, under certain circumstances, become a better man. But, as far as the police are Concerned, it is their duty to conserve the civil inter-

sts of the community; and it is very ecessary, in the administration of the iw, that really habitual companionliips amongst reputed thieves or of ersons convicted of absolute dishonsty, should be looked upon with susicion, because such companionships ftcn tend to breaches of the law.” lis Honor in an abstract manner tolds that a criminal has a right of reorming,. but when he puts on his le;al spectacles he does not seem to j hink he can, or should have much of n opportunity of so doing. The poice must continue to shadow him, is dearly what ho declares. If the poico shadow him wherever he goes, it oust minimise his chance of following in honest path, because that very ihadowing makes it more difficult for he fallen one to get on the road of ■ectitude. The police individually nay desire, nay very often do, aid a lischarged prisoner, but the policenan, in his official character, has a luty to perform, and this duty held to ic necessary for the protection of soci>ty is where the harshness .comes in. [f society was prepared to accept the watchful eye of the policeman as sufficient safeguard, and would, accepting same, cast down the barrier, and admit the discharged prisoner to the same level he occupied prior to his mistake, much might he done, for Judge Cooper himself points out that a man who has been convicted of an offence is not of necessity likely to keep on repeating offences for the term of his natural life The environment that induced an offence may be to blame, and its removal may also remove the disposition to err. It is our firm opinion that no man who is sane is absolutely bad, that if he is absolutely bad there is a physiological reason, and that if he is simply a potterer at crime he is reclaimable, and should get his chance.