THE PRISONS OF THE COLONY

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXX, Issue 9293, 31 August 1893, Page 5

THE PRISONS OF THE COLONY

ANNUAL REPORT.

[BY TELEGRAPH.—SPECIAL CORRESPONDENTS.]

Wellington, Wednesday. The report on the Department of Justice (Prisons Branch) for the year ending December 31 last has been laid before the House. Colonel Hume says the health of the prisoners throughout the year has been good, the daily average of sick being 7.ST males and 3.41 females, an increase of 0.40 in the males and 1.32 in the females. He then quotes from the report of a gaol surgeon, who expressed the hope soon to see some arrangement come to with regard to inebriate". The quotation continues, "It is hard for our officers to do night duty over them, when we have public hospitals with night nurses on duty, but until the General Government step in with a heavy hand, and make their wishes law, or take over the hospitals, I fear my wishes, however just, will not be carried out. Every hospital should be provided with a refractory ward, where delirious, inebriated, or lunatic patients could and should be treated till otherwise disposed of." There had been, continues the report, no deaths since 1892. At the commencement of the year there were 47- males and 62 females in the gaols, and at the close 435 and 42 respectively. In 1892 3302 males and 780 females passed through the various prisons, as against 3452 males and 845 females during the previous year, a total decrease of 215. In the cases dealt with, the average percentage of prisoners, according to population, was '009, a decrease of "01. With reference to penal servitude prisoners, there were at the close of the year 136 miles and two females, a decrease of 27 and two respectively. This was encouraging, and tended to prove that serious crimes were decreasing. The gross cost per head for maintenance was £49 15s M as against £52 2s Bd, the net cost being £36 4s 5d as against £36 0s 3d in 1891. The receipts and credits for prison labour and road metal, etc., were £6899 as against £7216. There still remained in the colony a band of irreclaimable and hopeless class of women who have probably spent the greater part of their lives in prison, and whose reform is beyond all possibility. During the past year 12 infants under the age of ten had been confined in prisons, an increase of two as against 1891. Colonel Hume again records his annual protest against the system of using prisons for the purpose of detaining children of tender years. At Auckland the building of the now prison is being pushed on, and makes satisfactory progress. The wings now complete accommodate 45 prisoners. This has entirely done away with the overcrowding which formerly took place in the old vermin-infested and obsolete wooden prison. The ground at Government House and Admiralty House at Auckland have been entirely kept up with prison labour, while extensive repairs and improvements have been made with the same labour at the Mount Eden Range. The total number of prisoners received during the year was 651 males and 228 females, the number in on the Ist of January being 122 males and 22 females.