REFORMATIVE WORK.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 8 September 1924, Page 8

REFORMATIVE WORK.

AMONG PRISONERS

NUMBER OF RECONVICTIONS

Results of the working of the two reformatories for men—the Waikeria Reformatory near Te Awamutu and the Borstal Institution at Invercargill—are published for the first time iu the report of the Prisons Department. The. Department has only been able to keep a detailed record of individual cases since the .beginning of 191(6, but, as the information now covers a period of eight years, it may be considered a reasonably fair index of the position. It. must be remembered, however, that the two institutions are distinct in character, Waikeria , being a reformatory farm for men of all ages drafted from the general prisons, and “the Borstal” being a special institution for young men and boys, whose maximum age in. 1916 was twenty-five (afterwards reduced to twenty-three). , The Waikeria returns show that of 306 men sentenced to terms of reformative detention only who were received into the reformatory between May 6, 1916, and December 31, 1923, 13, or 4.25 per cent., have been reconvicted; of 124 men who were given a hardlabour sentence followed by a term of reformative detention during the same period, 10 men, or 8.07 per cent., have again offended ; while of 345 with definite hard-labour sentences who were received at Waikeria, 7 men, or 2.03 per cent., have been "reconvicted. If the three classes of offenders‘are grouped it is found that of the total- of 775 men who passed through the Waikeria institution between May 6, 1916, and the end of last year, 30, or S.S/ - per cent., have been reconvicted.

The Invercargill figures show that between January 1, 1916, and December 3T, 3923, there passed through the Borstal Institution -739 youths and young men who received terms of reformative detention only. Of these, 47, or 6.36 P£r cent., have been reconvicted. Of those sentenced to combined terms of hard labour and reformative detention 95 were received, and'll, or 11.58 per cent., were reconvicted/ The best results' were obtained from the inmates who received definite hard-labour sentences,'the number received being 258, and the reconvictions only 5, or 1.94 per cent. A summary of all the figures for Invercargill from Januarv 1, 1916; gives a total of 1092 youths and young men who passed through the institution, .....the®total reconvictions being 63, or 5.77 per cent.

While erecting new prisons, reformatory institutions, and other buildings for the able-bodied male and female prisoners of the State, the Department has had to make more adequate provision for the “derelicts’-’ who are committed to its charge. This has been done by drafting all old men, or those who are prematurely old and unfit, to Wanganui, where there is a building that has for many years been used as a- police gaol for holding short-sentence local offenders. _ It was'formerly a fully constituted prison, but its use for gejieral commitments has been discontinued for many years. The whole place is being renovated and made suitable for its present use. For a time the Department used a part of the New Plymouth prison for this purpose, but it was found that an entirely'separate institution was preferable, and, in addition, Wanganui i s more centrally situated to receive drafts from other centies. Many of the old men are more derelict Than criminal, while others have been sentenced for a class of sexual offence peculiar to age. Bv housing them in one instituiton the Department is able _to treat them more in accord with their age and infirmities than is possible in the general prisons, where_ discipline must "be- maintained and dietary and other rules must be on uniform lines. Wanganui is now more a refuge, or old men’s home than-a prison.