DOES PRISON REFORM

Waikato Times, Volume 124, Issue 20774, 6 April 1939, Page 9

DOES PRISON REFORM

(To the Editor) Sir,—Wide publicity has Just bean given to the pleas of two re-offending lawbreakers concerning the effects of Imprisonment. Wc are not in a positloi to say whether the pleas were valid in these particular rases, but we have known many other cases in which similar pleas were genuine and true. The first man averred that a prison sentence is practically never ended. <»nce a prisoner, he said, always untrustworthy and suspect before the public and Hie Courts. There is truth in this plea. Punishment does extend beyond the prison bars, and thie reacts against the public. We suggest that this constitutes a good reason for not imprisoning freely as we do. Our jlaily prison average in 1937-38 was K»;6. Had our proportion been the same as in England Hie number would have been halved. We are not a lawless people, and if the courts would keep prison only as a last resource, using probation more freely for older offenders, we would have fewer “outcasts” likely to yield to temptation through misery.

Ttie second man's indictment was of our penal policy in regard to “habitual criminals.” The habitual criminal certainly becomes u:i outcast and all too often a resentful outlaw, our system, nearly 30 years old now, is a flagrant violation of justice which does not exist in England. England does, however, after special indictment “declare.” und in a recent year found Jt necessary to declare and imprison 116. New Zealand had at 1 lie same time 90. nils evidence of the use of the Act shows that, in our opinion, it is anti-social and. in the light of recent knowledge, utterly mistaken. Prison, as we now know, does more to confirm criminality than to cure it. The Prisons Hoard reports show ils t iiJure. Every prison worker knows the difficulties and handicaps of these men. The English Criminal Justice Hill, n* w bcii re the House, proposes training f *r “habituuls under and “p • - vrutjvc detention.“ also will, trsfnric. for ‘.hose over that ace. and will a time I mil. It would *■ cm loci**%l first 1 1 ascertain why an offender reoffends. ami to give the right I»•«.*!ment to the «Ceoh Me*, feeble-mlnd d and “kinks, who hulk largely unoim such n.eii. New Zealand legislators have been given an excellent lend by ihe recent English legislation.— We are, etc., NZ. HOWARD 1.1; Dil i; Fl'tH PEV\I. REFORM Auckland. April Z