THE CENTRAL PRISON CONDEMNED.

Grey River Argus, Volume XXXI, Issue 5313, 7 October 1885, Page 2

THE CENTRAL PRISON CONDEMNED.

Referring this morning to Central Prison, which is being erected on Mount Cook, one of the most prominent positions in Wellington, Justice .Richmond said that it was a perfect,' wonder to< him that it should be erected there, and he viewed it with disgust. He/deprecated that view of penal discipline which confined men within such limits, and his own view was that it could not be carried out' 'within such narrow limits;: He had no 'hesitation in saying that he looked upon the erection of this building with absolute disgust. He did not know what the authorities thought, but it seemed, to him terrible to place a: large penal institution in , the : midst of a large city, and, thus put crime in such a prominent position. He did not know what the Te Aro people thought about it, but he would be very sorry to live' under the walls- of' "a gaol all his life. The main thing he regretted in regard to the gaol itself was the want of room and the want of pbwer r of classification which room gave. The want of ; room made it tp his^mind inhuman tb confine prisoners . for - -lif e^ r . ought to be able to rise,by!gpod conduct tb some - domf orts : of v e'xistencef aha thai might-be managed if the penal establishments were on a sufficiently extensive bcale. ■• „.