INDIGENT PRISONERS

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXXVII, Issue 19671, 13 December 1933, Page 2

INDIGENT PRISONERS

RIGHT TO HAVE COUNSEL ASSIGNED. By Telegraph—Press Association WELLINGTON. December 12. The Poor Prisoners Defence Bill was introduced by Governor-General's message in the House of Representatives this evening. Explaining the measure, the Hon. J. G. Cobbe said that it was an amendment to the Justices of the Peace Act which gave prisoners in poor circumstances who were charged with a criminal offence the right to apply for counsel. However, under the Act, a prisoner had that right only if he set out his defence in writing with his signature attached. That document was available to the Crown Prosecutor and the prisoner was thus placed at a disadvantage because the nature of his defence ws known to the prosecution. On the other hand a prisoner who had means could engage counsel in the ordinary way and did not have to disclose his defence until called upon to answer the charge. The Bill proposed to give a prisoner in poor circumstances the right to have counsel assigned to him without his having to disclose his defence. A similar law had been passed by the British Parliament. Mr F. W. Schramm (Lab.. Auckland East) said that he would have liked the Bill to have gone further so that a poor man should have the right to choose any lawyer available instead of having counsel assigned to him. Such 1 provision would ensure that a prisoner ; had competent counsel instead of some person who was only gaining experience. The Bill was read a first time.