PRISON METHODS

Hokitika Guardian, 6 December 1929, Page 7

PRISON METHODS

BRINGING OUT THE BEST. “AFTER. CARE” NECESSARY. MASTER-TON, Nov. 28. “Exponente shows that .some organised .system ol' ‘after-care’ is an integral and vital part of any sound ]ienal system,” said Air B. L. Dullard, Coinp-tioller-neneral of Prisons, when addressing the Masterton Rotary Club. “Jn tlie absence of provision for supervisory care and' placement on release there is almost certain to he a drift hack to the old associations and habits,” he proceeded, “and this salvage work is an important publ.c service. It must be borne in mind, particularly in the case of young offenders, that a life deflected from a career of crime means the conversion of a social liability into a social asset,.'* .Air 1 ,-llard lonelily referred to the gradual (level pment of penological ~.eas and reviewed the work of tho Prisons Department in Now Zealand, outlining briefly the efforts made to conform to current ideas in regard to lIk? treatment of criminals, whose deeds he said, had excited tho interest of mnniviml lrom time immemorial. Although authorities from early times had devoted pages to the exploits of criminals, it was on the publication of the epoch-making thesis of “Crime and Punishment” by the Italian philosopher, Beccaria, some 150 years ago that public attention definitely awakened to the brutality of the then existing prison methods. Following these ideas hei.ng furthered by such men as Howard and Bentham the real science of criminology, which was now recognised as a branch of sociology, began with La.mbros.), also an J Lallan, about 50 years ago, when the much-discussed theory of the “criminal type” was propounded. Lombrosian theories were not now generally accepted, but his theories-had given the sub.eH a scient.fic significance which had led to the more modern approach from the psychological point of view. CHANGE IN VIEWPOINT. After tracing developments of prisons in England Mr Dullard said it was interesting to observe the change in recent years in the viewpoint or angle from which the treatment of the prisoner was regarded; in primitive times punishment had been mainly retaliatory or retributive, but with the development of the social group the element of protection and deterrence was given greater prominence, while later the idea of reform was developed. In considering the •reformative, aspect there was just the danger of the swing of the pendulum to too opposite an extreme for fussiness and sympathy arising out of emotionalism and sentimentality had decidedly more illieffoct than severity. Care should be taken to adopt a rational system that would bring out the best in human nature, bearing in mind always the class of person being dealt with, making due allowance for human frailties and always remembering that man reacted largely in the manner in which he was treated.

In studying the individual the keynote oi' modern system was touched upon—the individualisation of punishment. Present-day prison methods involved a careful study of personality, a study of the offender rather than the offence.

Pealing with the prison system in New Zealand, Mr Dullard said records prior to 1880 in which year control was central,sed under Captain Hume, records were more or less vague. Some criminals were detained - in military barracks and otlies in hulks. The last prison hulk at Otago Heads was not abolished until about 40 years ago. Captain Hume in his first report to. U.e Government in ISBI advocated the separate eonfinment of prisoners; he maintained that the system of endeavouring to educate the prisoners wasa mistake that imprisonment should he deterrent—then it behoved others to undertake the work of reformation. Year after year in his reports he had pointed out the iniquity of sentencing children to imprisonment—“lt is a serious blot on our administration to lind as many as 40 children unoer Id years of age having passed turongn the prisons during the year.” It was during his regime that the First Offenders Probation Act was passed, and later the Habitual Criminal's’ Aict. Captain Hume bad made a material contribution to the improvement of prisons in New Zealand and be bad paved the way for the development that had taken place subsequently on more reformative lines

MODEMN NPW ZEALAND METHOuc,. Air Dullard dealt at length with prison methods in New Zealand to-day, stating that while the main object of imprisonment now was to protect m*. cioty, experience Imd shown that the best way to achieve this was by endeavouring to reform the offender and as far as possibe by inculcating' habits of industry to engender self-reliance and self-respect. It was for the purpose of creating a more charitable and constructive attitude towards those who had paid the price exacted by society for their infringement of its Vws that the Department had arranged lor the establishment of voluntary committees with the probation officers throughout the Dominion. Already excellent work had been done, but there was still a great field for effort, and it was here that Mr Dullard asked the cooperation of Potarians.