REFORMING THE CRIMINAL.

Timaru Herald, Volume XIIIC, Issue 14274, 15 August 1910, Page 2

REFORMING THE CRIMINAL.

<&» DR. FINDLAY'S SCHEME. The speech of' the Attorney-General (the Hon. Dr. Eindlay) in the Legislative Council .in moving the second 1 reading of the Crimes Act Amendment 'Bill, on Tuesday (says the Wellington "Post") was listened to by full galleries. Dr. Eindlay spoke for nearly two hours, j and every wurd he said was deeply ! interesting to his hearers. He eni- ! phasised the point that the main object I of the Bill was to inculcate the work habit. This would go far to save the criminal. They did not. want the work habit to he inculcated by soul degrading work. The question of dealing with sexual perverts was largely a medical question. He had seen in the gaols men who should bo in lunatic asylums. Coming to the reformatories he said that in these institutions it was proposed to treat the young offenders •and the incorrigible offenders of both i sexes. The model reformatories -which jthey proposed to establish at 'Tokanui j and at Invercargill would not be. run !on a feather-bed system—it would be | a system which would not commend | itself to the criminals. Criminals 'preferred gaol to reformatory methods I He. quoted the results obtained at ; Elmira (U.S.A.) and the working of the i New South Wales system to show that ithis was so, and then examined the lease of drunkards. The Salvation Army had a. Home at Pakatoa for ■ males, and intended to establish a home for females on another island. Probably these two institutions would t meet the needs of New Zealand for i some time. As to dietary, all that a .' prisoner could expect was an adequate amount of wholesome food. He wa« entitled to no more and could expect no less. They were trying to take the advantage of scientific advice over

this subiert. There would be a regular system "of remissions. At the treeplanting stations, for instance, there were requests by prisoners to work overtime, in order to secure remissions. The most interesting feature of the new system would bo the working of the reformatory at Tokanui. lie hoped to have accommodation for 20(1 prisoners verv soon and later on accommodation for'4oo or 500 prisoners. There would be. training' in all general ami special brunches of agriculture. The aim < f the Government would be to turn out thoroughly practical farmers from Tokanui. When they had their system in full swing lie was convinced any man coming from Tokanui would be willimdv and gladly employed by farmers. (Hear hear.) It was boned that every man on leaving an institution would have a place to go to. Referring to the Bill he said its main purpose was to introduce the indeterminate sentence. The chief virtue of the indeterminate sentence was the permanent bold the State had on the olfender. lie explained the functions which tiro Prison" Hoard would be expected to carry out. The Board would have practically a daily account, of the conduct of the prisoners. In Victoria to-day very strict rules were in operation and power was given to detain prisoners for life —that is, during the Governor's pleasure. In conclusion, Dr. Eindlay made an eloquent appeal for the support of the new system, on the ground that the aim was to save the bodies and souls of the men and women in question.

Dr. Eindtay, says the "Post," has all the experts with him when be insists that the mainspring of reform is the indeterminate sentence. As soon as we abandon the old theories of vengeance and retaliation-which formed the basis of all tiie primitive criminal codes, and are still far from extinct, the protection of society and the reformation of the criminal remain as the only legitimate ends of punishment. And fortunately these two objects do not conflict, but work together in so near an approach tu perfect harmony that they often appear to be identical. According to the existing practice in this and practically every other civilised country a man who commits a crime is sentenced on conviction to a fixed term of imprisonment, at the end of which he is free to resume his criminal career if he. is so minded. As nothing has been done during his imprisonment to qualify hint to earn an honest living, and all the world appears to be against him when he regains his freedom, the chances are that if lie really has the criminal taint in him he will be so minded. By a five years' sentence society will certainly have secured protection for live years, but the protection is temporary only, because the work of reformation has been entirelv neglected. 'Thus it is that we are justified in describing the two legitiiuite aims of punishment as preaching for the most part the same moral. The humanitarian who desires to reform a character and save a soul comes to exactly the same conclusion as the utilitarian who is looking round for the means of abating a .social nuisance. It is reform of tiie prisoner durin" hia term that offers the onß- gurantee that society will be protected ,-ifter the term has expired. It is the crowning merit of the Attorney-General's Bill that it recognises tins principle and applies it in a logical and consistent manner. The indeterminate sentence being not an alternative or additional punishment, but an instrument of relurm, is properly to be applied to the criminal novice no less than to the hardened ofiender who is so much less pronusing a. subject tor treatment. Y\"e shall take a later opportunity of examining the working of the "idea, as well as other valuable points in the measure.