THE PENAL SYSTEM

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23136, 11 March 1937, Page 10

THE PENAL SYSTEM

WEAKNESSES IN DOMINION FULL INVESTIGATION SOUGHT PROMISE OF CONSIDERATION (Per United Press Association) AUCKLAND, Mar. 10. As one who years ago had been imprisoned for his political opinions, the Minister of Labour (Mr H. T. Armstrong) to-day showed a personal interest in the arguments used by a deputation in favour of a full and open investigation into the penal system of the Dominion. Mr Armstrong had been deputed by the Prime Minister to receive the deputation on his behalf. The deputation was sponsored by the Howard League for Penal Reform, and included lawyers, clergymen, social workers, educationists and business men.

Mr C. L. Gillies, pn behalf of the Howard League, said the fact that New Zealand had three times as many prisoners in proportion to population as England and more than Scotland, Northern Ireland, the Irish Free State, the Scandinavian countries, or Australia showed that there existed a state of affairs requiring investigation. There was evidence to show that the reformative treatment of Borstal inmates fell far short of what it might be. The facts known concerning the orobation service pointed to a greatly overworked staff, insufficient training and a lack of facilities for a complete survey of the individual delinquent to determine the best method of treatment for him. There was explicit evidence that the value of the modern aid of psychology and psychiatry to the problems of delinquency was neither understood nor appreciated by the authorities. It was suggested that two properlyequipped and staffed observation centres should be established, one in each island, for a full investigation of the care of every convicted person before sentence was passed. “I have been much impressed by the representations you have made,” said the Minister in reply. " I will certainly convey them to the Prime Minister and the members of the Cabinet, and I think I can give you an assurance that they will be seriously considered. “Perhaps I am a little more interested because I once experienced a short term of imprisonment, though I have nothing to apologise for,” Mr Armstrong continued. “It was an experience that was worth while. Our penal system may be backward, but has made a wonderful advance since then. I used to see men yarded up like cattle—decent boys and hardened criminals together.” A member of the deputation; They still are, sir. Another member: They work together, though they do not use the same yard. “ I do not know about the present men,” remarked Mr ‘ Armstrong, speaking of prison warders. “ Those I had to do with were well meaning, but their idea of reforming prisoners belonged to the dark ages." Warders should be the best type of individual possible, carefully selected and trained, and not chosen merely for their physique. He agreed that there was need for full educational facilities and for training in handicrafts, which he did not believe was developed sufficiently except in the Borstal institutions. The men should not be Ijept locked so long in their cells as had been the rule in his experience. He was in favour of a fuller examination of offenders before sentence. Mr Armstrong said he had found that a large proportion of so-called criminals were simply victims of mental disease. Among prisoners, he had seen poor, old men who were in gaol merely because they could not work, and there was no other place for them. It seemed to him wrong that young men should be sentenced to long terms of five to 10 years when there was a possibility they might be fully reformed in one year,