DOMINION PRISONS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LVI, Issue 17275, 26 September 1919, Page 7

DOMINION PRISONS.

PAST YEAR REVIEWED.

'MILITARY OFFENDERS.

EFFECT UPON SYSTEM.

[Br TELEGRAPH. —SPECUT. REPORTER.]

WELLINGTON. Thursday

The annual report en the prisons of New Zealand, laid before the House of Representatives to-day, shows that the numbers of persons received into the prisons and prison institutions of the Dominion for the past, year was 3150, compared with 4112 for the previous year and 4256 ' .i the preceding twelve months.

The daily average number of prisoners, however, was 981.95, compared with 914.26 and 942.77 for the two previous periods. The increase in the daily average and the decrease in the receptions appear to be somewhat anomalous, the report states, but this is probably accounted for by the fact that there as a considerable reduction in the number of short sentences imposed, while there was a substantial increase in the number of persons sentenced to twelve months and upwards. Offenders sentenced by military courtmartial to terms of hard labour exceeding twelve months no doubt provided the bulk of the longer sentences. Without this class ot prisoners the daily average and reception figures would have more nearly approximated.

Detailed figures of the military offenders show that while the daily average was 222.928 in 1918. it was onlv 54.117 in 1917 and 3.017 in 1916. If these figures Ire deducted from the totals it will be seen that the daily average number of criminal prisoners was 939.755 in 1916, 860.149 in 1917 and only 759.022 in 1918. Smaller Criminal Population. From these figures it is satisfactory to note that the criminal population in our prisons during the year 1918 was less by 134.218 in the daily average than in 1913, the last statistical year before the commencement of the war.

Recent returns indicate, however, that the current year is likely to end with a higher daily average of sentenced criminal prisoners than was the case in the year under review, the total dailv average of all classes of prisoners for the year ended March 31 last being 1993.43 During the past year the number of military offenders serving terms" of imprisonment in the civil prisons reached the highest total recorded during the war period, there being 293 prisoners of this class in the different prisons of the Dominion in the month of March, 1918. The policy of separating this class of prisoner from the criminal class, and employing them on useful reproductive work, has been continued. " Passive Resistors." The larger proportion of the military prisoners worked and conducted themselves satisfactorily while in confinement, but there were certain grave exceptions to this rule. The presence of a few agitators in two of our institutions led on more than one occasion to a policv of passive resistance on the part of a section of the military offenders that caused our officers a considerable amount of trouble. Firmness in dealing with the ringleaders and the rank and file of those who rebelled against authority had, however, the usual effect, and for some time I past there has been no recrudescence of ; the trouble. I If it should unfortunately happen that ! a similar situation should again arise, it i is hoped that an endeavour will be made Ito confine military offenders in camps or , other places entirely outside th». jurisdic- ! tion of the Prisons Department. ~ s Success of Classification. At Waikeria and Invercargill the improved systems of inter-classification referred to in the last report have worked satisfactorily, and arrangements are now in progress for building a superstructure on the foundation thus created. The progress of the buildings in course of erection at both places has given much-needed facilities in this direction that have hitherto been entirely- wanting. It is hoped that the present year will be the last in which it will be necessary to provide accommodation for a large number of military offenders. The provision required this class of prisoner has militated seriously against the advancement desired in the proper separation and classification of the different types of criminal prisoner?, and it is only by their final disappearance from the civil prison that it will be possible to establish and maintain a really satisfactory svstem in the more recently created institution. Hitherto the accommodation has been too limited and buildings too obsolete in their internal arrangements to enable any substantial impi vement to be made.

Difficulties During War. In spite of the shortage of staff caused by war conditions the Prisons Department has continued to carry on its work with comparative efficiency. It will now, perhaps, be possible to extend the work in various essential directions by the creation of branches it has hitherto been impossible to establish. This particularly applies to the establishment J>f a section to deal more effectively with probation and preventive work. Th« branch has been hampered by the absence of permanent staff and the consequent lack of a thorough system of organisation. New Zealand has always fallen far short of its obligation in this direction, and it is quite time that this branch of social reform work received adequate State attention.

THE AUCKLAND PRISON.

EMPLOYMENT OF INMATES.

[BY TELEURjLFH.—SI'ECLAI. reporter.]

WELLINGTON. Thursday.

The annual report on the Auckland prison states that there were five deaths during the year, all of males. Id addition a long-service prisoner committed suicide in his cell by hanging. There were two escapes—one from the District Hospital and one from the prison quarry. The escapee from the hospital gave himself up at the prison two days later. The other was caught almost immediately by the prison officials before he got clear nt the prison reserve. The conduct of the prisoners on the whole ha.s been good. There were only 48 punishment* by the \ siting justice,* against 34 individuals.

Although the pri.-ou dings are now completed stone -outline is still being carried on, there being various- improvements yet to lx» made, including the heightening of the outer wall facing the railway, as from certain points prisoners, while at exercise, can be seen by the public. It is also proposed to make additions at the main entrance, for which dressed stone will be required. This provides work for the longer-sentence and dangerous class of prisoners whom it would be unsafe to em. ploy outside the walls. Quarry work has i-.;:o'M milised the largest working party, who get out stone for building purposes and for crushing into road metal. Improved methods have been adopted for getting stone to the crusher, railway lines have been laid, an oil engine and hauling winch installed, and the stone is being drawn to the crusher in trucks. By this means an increased supply of road metal is obtained, but much requires yet to he done before the quarry can be made- a payable industry.