HONOUR SYSTEM.

Hawera Star, Volume XLV, 19 August 1925, Page 9

HONOUR SYSTEM.

FOR PRISONERS.

AUSTRALIAN EXPERIMENT

SUCCESSFUL RESULTS

BY CABLE—PRESS ASSOCIATION—COPYRIGHT

(Received Aug. 19, 10.30 a.m.) MELBOURNE, Aug. 19

The Penal Department is conducting, as an experiment, the system known as the honour system. It consists of placing certain prisoners on their honour not to escape. So far it lias been entirely successful. In one case that was instanced the prisoner was serving a sentence of 12 months’ hard labour for manslaughter, and whose wife was very ill in hospital and. who was incessantly calling for him. The prison authorities allowed him to visit her. He stayed at the hospital five days and nights without a guard until his wife recovered, when he returned to gaol. The second case was of a prisoner who was serving an indeterminate sentence. The man had played a leading part in a hold-up at the Middle Park branch of the English and Scottish Australian Bank in 1916. While in gaol he was noted for his good conduct. His sight began to fail, and he was taken to hospital, accompanied by a warder, for an operation to his eyes. There lie lay in bed for nearly a month without a guard. When he recovered he returned to gaol. The hospital authorities were under no obligations to guard the prisoner. When these instances were reported in the gaol several other prisoners developed mvsterious complaints, but were not allowed to visit the hospital on trust.