PRISON EXPERIENCES

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19980, 23 December 1926, Page 7

PRISON EXPERIENCES

A POIGNANT LETTER. THE CUP OF BITTERNESS. PRAISE OF , JUSTICE DEPARTMENT. (Special to Daily Times.) AUCKLAND, December 22. His own story of his experiences in prison and of the hard world into which ho was ultimately released is told in a letter to the New Zealand Herald by a man at present in Auckland as one who has experienced the clemency of the Pinsons Board alter draining to the dregs the cup of bitterness and remorse which must over be the lot of him who sins against, the laws of the land and is called upon to pay the penalty of his crime. He writes; “May 1 try to show that it is not the length of sentence nor the time served that counts, but tho inevitable consequences which for ever recur as a result of being a convicted felon. It is now nearly 12 years since I was ushered into a white-washed cell, furnished with a sack hammock, three grey blankets, one small hard pillow, a plate, mug, spoon and fork. The door banged, and I was alone with my thoughts. To this day I can vividly remember the agony of the moment and the emotions which crowded my mind. My wife and children t relations and friends —what must they think of me? What hope had I for the future? Would it not be better to end things at once, because to look forward to four years of prison life was more than 1 could bear? But in the end 1 was too cowardly to take my own life, and, after pacing the floor of the cell, the whole of tho first night, planning to escape, I was brought to myself by the ringing of the prison bell. The first breakfast, which never varied during the time of my incarceration. consisted of a mug of porridge, a hunk of bread, and a cup of tea —wholesome food, no doubt, but to one who had been rather ‘finnicky’ over food and who was still suffering from the effects of the drugs which had been the cause of my downfall, not very appetising. The next thing was turning out to work with the stone-cutting gang Let one who had never done manual labour, and whoso hands in consequence were particularly soft, try this work for a few hours, and notice the results. But I must not dwell on these phases, for they are only part of tho price one must pay. “Being moody and resenting authority, I soon found myself in trouble, for I imagined the warders were all paid to add tb my misery of mind and body. On more than one occasion I was brought before visiting magistrates, and after receiving advice which I was not in the humour to take, found myself sentenced to solitary confinement on bread and water diet. Is it necessary to go into details of the hell I suffered on this and other like occasions? For upwards of three months I continued in this state, and then during a terra. of solitary confinement I was visited by the chief warder. He gave me much sound advice and informed me that if I took my punishment as justly earned, and showed by my conduct that I wished to make amends for the past 1 would soon find the officers wore not a bad lot of chaps, and that they would render me every assistance possible. This I proved to be true. On settling down I was given a position of trust in which I was able to study both the inmates and the prison system, and from that observation it is my firm opinion that it is tho first few months that count toward reformation. Afterwards one is inclined to become hardened to the life and callous. Moreover, tho longer one is imprisoned tile more one becomes known to the floating population in the prjson world which is a factor that often brings humiliation to those nearest and dearest after release. Then, with those that are easily led, undesirable friendships are made, and being continued outside often lead the weak into further trouble. Of course, there are cases where neither punishment nor humane treatment have any effect, and for these I have no biref, but surely, even then, it is better to err on the side of humanity.

“Let me say here that during my imprisonment I found the officers uniformly kind and ever ready with advice and encouragement. When I came before the Prisons Board I had no friends agitating for my release, nor had I any political influence at the back of me. Those that spoke in my favour were connected with the Prison Department, and this in spite of the fact that I had played up badly at the beginning of my sentence. The late Mr C. Mathews, then Inspector of Prisons, the prison surgeon and the chief warder spoke on my behalf, and even promised that I should be found employment if released. “Thank God the New Zealand Justice Department knows how to choose its staff in spite _of the criticism of certain so-called prison reformers. If those folk would confine their activities to helping those that have suffered im prisonment to make a fresh start in life, instead of trying to make their lot harder to bear, they would be better employed. Had I for instance met with the same treatment since my release as I did while in prison I would have no cause to complain. Unfortunatelyi such has not been the case. In the Herald's editorial this morning this question is asked: If the unfortunate prisoners cease to be transgressors, why should their way still be made hard? That is a question I keep asking myseif con tipually, for now after 12 years, 1 am still p%ying for the past, since I have lost two good positions in consequence of it, and have suffered humiliation on countless occasions. One position I resigned because some charitable person felt it a duty to advise anyone who would listen that I was a gaol bird, and. as my family suffered so much in consequence of this, 1 deemed it bettor: to try my luck further afield. Recently, while holding a public position, it became known that I had suffered imprisonment, and those in authority, while paying tribute to my work, found it impossible to- retain my Services. Under these circumstances surely the way of the transgressor is hard. “What amazes me is the fact that those claiming to be the followers of Christ have the least sympathy with tho sinner who has paid for his crime. I am now out of employment and seeking a fresh start from someone who will overlook the past and let mo prove that my desire to become a useful citizen is not mere lip service. I trust this will prove that it is not the lime served that counts, but the aftermath. The writer of this touching letter produced testimonials showing the high regard he had won from various employers since his release from prison. Unfortunately, his past always arose against him, and he was again and again set the task of making a fresh start. In that plight he is at present facing a bleak Christmas and uncertain Now ¥ear. Not only that, but bo says his wife and his family are constantly being embarrassed by tho spectre of his past mistakes.