PRISON REFORM

Stratford Evening Post, Issue 25, 28 March 1928, Page 6

PRISON REFORM

DEPARTMENT SYMPATHETIC ... ASSURED. ... .. Per,Press Association..., ■ WELLINGTON, This Day. An assurance of co-operation of the Prisons Department in any directed towards improvement of the penarsystem was 'given by,the Minister of Justice, the Hon. F. J. Rblleston, to-day in declaring, open a conference for the purpose of constituting a New Zealand branch of ithe Howard League for' behal reform.

'ftie Minister said they had now advanced to a stage -when they realised that prison work wa s re-\ formative ' an'd riot punitive. They had advanced a' good deal in New 'Zealand in the last, two years, and h e thought they had reached a stage when they realised r .that the great desideratum in treating prisoners was to help them to reform. The Department was sympathetic and would welpome suggestions, as it wa s ' actuated toy the Bpirit of co-opera-tion with the League. But it had its difficulties. It was honestly trying to make a forward move in the reclamation of prisoners. The Minister .gave oredit for what Sir Geo. Firidlay had done, and said the department wa s endeavouring to improve on his work.