REFORMING CRIMINALS

Taranaki Daily News, 3 July 1924, Page 9

REFORMING CRIMINALS

WORK OF BORSTAL SYSTEM. VALUE TO THE COMMUNITY. Interesting details in regard to th© Prisons Board, more especially in respect of reformative work among young criminals, were given by Sir Robert Stout, who this week completed his twenty-fifth year of office as Chief Justice. The operations of the board, said Sir Robert, had worked very satisfactorily. “I have bpen on the board since its institution, and I have been chairman,” h* sairl z “and I well know what it has done. On the whole, the system of • eing the prisoners, helping them, trying to get work for them,, and granting probation when we think then htu been an improvement in their conduct has, I think, led to great advances. I think il 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 acres of land from the river and lagoons, and their work, from a financial point of view, had been most successful. Cattle-rearing-, dairy farming, reclamation work, the making of concrete blocks, and the construction of ’•risen buildings had been healthy outdoor work for the men. And, further, for their leisure time they had good amusements provided. The Chief Justice holds strongly the view that outdoor work is the best for men serving sentences*. “That, 1 think, is more important than anything else.” said Sir Robert. “I do not 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 on an expensive prison at Wellington. His suggestion was, not adopted, much to his regret. Open-air work, he repeated, with emphasis. had a wonderful effect on the

rew health and well-being, and he also believed it exercised a great in* fluence cu their raorsl improvement. At Invercargill, they found that the prisoners were doing more work than people outside, and they received an increased amount of food. “Those men,” said Sir Robert, “were healthy and happy.” Referring to the system of parole, under which prisoners are sent about their work on 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 would be sent to Mount Eden. The system had been verv successful in training young and middle-aged men, and had given them it new outlook on life. After dealing with the training systems in vogue at a number of prison farms, Sir Robert said they could not hope that all prisoners would be reformed. That was impossible because the origin of crime went rur beyond the Individual There was’ the question of heredity to be considered, ayd he did not think people fully realised wh#* heredity meant in <jnnection with the problem of criminality. The old notion was that by education and environment it would be possible to turn the wicked man from his ways. But education and environment could not always effect that change, though they might make for a great improvement. The effect of heredity was bound to continue for tome generations. It was mid of old that “the poor ye have always with you.” and Sir Robert's view was that the criminal likewise they would always have with them. Their hope was to try to reform the prisoners, especially the younger ones, giving them a fresh start in life. As to those beyond reformation, he would urge that they be treated kindly, and as if they were mentally and morally defective.