PRISONS IN WARTIME

Timaru Herald, Volume CLVIII, Issue 23315, 26 September 1945, Page 5

PRISONS IN WARTIME

English Experiments Useful Industrial Work The wartime demand for skilled labour and land workers has resulted in valuable developments in British prison training schemes. The prison regime, says an official report, is now directed in detail toward the idea of training and not toward that of punishment. Useful and productive industrial work replaced sterile "hard labour.” moral and mental stimulus to right thinking and right feeling was provided, and for suitable classes Of prisoner the attempt was made to build up character through trust leading to responsibility. During the war classes in engineering fitting were instituted at three “training” prisons Here selected men. after a six mni.-iis’ course, were placed in skilled engineering work on discharge. •It is hoped that the possibility of thus "iving prisoners a real vocational trainin'' in a skilled trade at which they will be able to work on discharge will remain after the war.” At two prisons women were emoloved on the assembly of radio equipment and at two voting prisoners centres workshops were devoted to .he assembly of electrical equipment for tanks and fire-fighting equipment Prom a large number of prisons of all tvpes parties of about 20 men were reo-ularlv sent into the country under the supervision of a single . fficer to work on agriculture The current local wage-rates were paid direct to the prison commissioners by the authorities concerned, the prisoners remaining under the normal prison earnings scheme. , ■This experiment has met witn trikiiw success. Over a period now preceding two wars unfortunate inetient- haw been very rare attempts io escape have barelv reached double gures and the quality and mi>i>'».V ,f Hu- work done have regularly received the highest praise. vurmg lie intel of 1944 this experiment was xtended to women. Parties were sent >ut from several women’s prisons to '■elp in setting in the potato crop and the' result was equally successful.”