PRISON REFORM.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLIV, Issue 14449, 8 November 1917, Page 2

PRISON REFORM.

IMPROVED CLASSIFICATION OF

PRISONERS

(Special to thft Ilerold.) WSLLINQTQN, 'this day. Since assuming control ,01 the Prisons Department,; *h© "Hoii. J. A. Harian, Minister of Justice, ; has introduced manyi reforms ' based on commonsense and 1 humane ideas I'for1 ' for the improvement of the conditions., generally > m gaols. . In order to further desirable reforms to be iiistiituted, the .Minister succeeded m getting Parliament '-'to' 1 pass certain amendments to the Prisons Act • during the session just ended and these. 'wild furnish, .-.the groundwork for , effecting the progressive- changes. An advanced step is that whereby provision is. now made for, the classification of various institutions and: m connection therewith the Invercargill Reformatory will m future be known' as the "Invercargill 'Borstal Institution," and the prisons at Waikeria and Addingtoni will be called "Waikeria Reformatory for Men" and the .. "Adddington . v 'Reformatory 'for Women," -i^speotiveily. ■ ■-'. A more suitable title than "gaoler is • to be bestowed upon those . m charge of- these -institutions, -and' the officers m charge of the first and'>'second grade prisons, of 1 Borstal .institutions, and', of reformatories will bear the title "superintendent." Wdlth a. view- of removing an 'anomaly and enabling hard /labor prisoners who are- deserving of consideration, to be placed on the same footing as reformative • detention prisoners ana habitual criminals m regard to release on probationary license on, the reoommendjation of -the Prisons Board,- an amendment was ; included' m" the Statute iLaw, Amendment Act passed last session. 'In the casa of ; 'meiV sentenced to imprisonment for periods not exceeding eejven da.yis at places some distance from' ail established, gadl/dt ' waswfouiid, ; in many cases, that by the time th© prisoners were transferred to gaol and 1 all the nec-i essary .formalities had been .carried out, their sentences had expired! The 'Aoti as now amended enables these shorH term prisoners to be detained m policei "lock-ups" and this "will enable ■unnec, essary expense to be avoided.