REFORMING CRIMINALS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXI, Issue 18742, 23 June 1924, Page 8

REFORMING CRIMINALS.

WORK OF BORSTAL SYSTEM.

VALUE TO THE COMMUNITY.

Interesting - details -in ; regard vto the Prisons Board, more especiallyjih/Tespe'ct .' of reformative work v among young criminals, were given by Sir ; Robert ; Stout, who .yesterday; completed : his 25th year ,• of office as Chief Justice.; * The operations of the board, said . Sir Robert, had worked very satisfactorily. "I have been on the board since its institution, and I have been chairman," he said, "and I well 1 know what it has done. .On the/whole/ the system of seeing the prisoners, helping „them, trying ! to get work/ for them, ; "and granting probation when "we think' there lias been an improvement; in their conduct has, I think, led to great advances. I think it has made the prisoners realise that.the desire of the"public is to help them." Sir Robert : dealt at , length with the scheme of life' at the Borstal Institution at Invercargill, and said he did not think ..the people of the Dominion sufficiently realised the good work being done there for young criminals. The Borstal prisoners had reclaimed about 1000 acre's bf land : from the river and lagoons; and i their work, -from; both ia; financial and a farming: point r- of. view, had been most successful.. *;Cattlerearing, dairy farming, reclamation work, ! the : making of ; : concrete blocks, and. the j construction of prison buildings had been I healthy outdoor work.for the : men. And, further, for their leisure tints they : had good amusements provided. ,' The Chief .Justice holds strongly /the view that outdoor .work is .1 the .best. * for, men serving sentences. " That;;l -think,; is' more important than anything else," said Sir Robert. "I ;do not i believe .in shutting ;; prisoners into cells ; and/making' them do indoor work. - I advocated open \ air work in 1876, when I was a member of- the House of Representatives." :■: Sir; Robert added that-he then proposed; that \ prisoners should be employed to construct a ' harbour at -New Plymouth,;: instead > of;' money being spent oh'> .an.!*'expensive prison fat Wellington.; His ; suggestion was, however, not adopted, much to his > regret.; ; Open-air work, he repeated; f with/; phasis, had ■ a wonderful ; effect on the' men's health; and well-being, and he also believed it exercised a . great ■ influence on, their moral improvement. • At Invercargill; they found that the prisoners wsre doing| more work; than r : people outside, and they received ;• an ■-; increased; amount.;, of ?/fodd./ "Those men," said Sir Robert, "were' healthy and happy." / Referring to the system of parole/under; which prisoners are sent aßOut their work I on i their word of"" honour not to.attempt [ to escape, Sir Robert said that occasionally; a man would try to get away,;but generally it ended in his capture;- and then he r, would be sent '■ to Mount ; Eden.. -The ;;' system had been Very successful in training young and middle-aged- men arid; had/ given them .a new outlook on life- ■ :.-■ After dealing with the train'ing systems ; in vogue, at, a number, of prison "farms, ■'" Sir Robert said they could not hope that: all prisoners would ' bo.reformed. -That was impossible because the origin of crime went far beyond the> individual. There 3 was the• question of heredity to be con-: sidered and:he did riot jthink people fully - realised what heredity meant in connec- i: tion with the problem of criminality. The; old notion was that by education and en- ■< vironment it would be possible to turn the \ -wicked; man from his ways. But education and : environment ; could not' always 5 effect ; that .change, . though they, might make for a great improvement. The effect % ot heredity was \ boundv to continue for; .some generations. It was said >of old that "the poor ye.have always with you," and Sir-Robert's view was that the criminal" likewise ; they would- always have r with'/ .•them. Their hope was to try; to reform '.the': prisoners, especially: the younger ' ones I giving; then; >, fresh start 'in life. '.' As to' those beyond - reformation, he 1 would"; urge , that they be treated kindly, and as if they were mentally; and 'morally, defective.^