Jonly
as being required for increasing the punish- ment as a deterrent. But there is a great deal in the armiated system. as observed by the Superintenders of the Gaol, that is demora- lising The good and bad, or I ought to say the hardened and less hardened, are shut up together, and the members of the Triad Socioty have the opportunity of instilling their principles into those who are shut up with them. The evils of the associated system are two; now only that it is not as deterrent as the soliy system, which has been disputed, but that it has a demoralising effect. I thuk that is ar portant feature which has been very much overlooked in the diseassion of this mat- ter. I shoull just like to bring to notice the unanimity of opinion in all the reports of th Superintendents of the Gaol in this matter. One report says:
"Long expérience at home has proved that, to wake prison puuishuron's deterrent and re- formatory, it is essential that prisoners should be kept in separate confinement.
The 05- tablished prínciple is that prisoners on conviction should for a fixed period be kept in separate confinement. This penal stage lasts in England for nine months. In the second stage conviols are employed at labour in as- sociation, bat sle and havo their meals in separate cell. It is quite impossible to carry out suels a system in Victoria Gaol with the very limited id unsuitablo accommodation of the buildings, and I believe it has never been oven approximately attempted, contine- ment in separato cells having in past times been chiefly used for punishment. The limited space of the gaul tells ronally bardly on industria: labour. Mat maki A -air and basket making, carpentering, and ev most of the oakum pick- ing have to be carried out in narrow and limited raudabs. There is only space for a single loom of coir m making and a single loomi of grass mat-nai; tailoring is carried ont in a dark ball, shoemaking is carried out in an ordinary cell. In fact there is no suitable workship in the gaol, no space for one, except for the single industry of washing clothes. Were the prison provided with suitable work- shops, it would be easy to discharge every long sevtouca prisoner a trained and skilled workman at a remunerative trade, and there would be every hope that a large percentage of conviets would by these means be reclaimed from a life of crime. In short the Victoria Gaol is unsuited to the demands of modern civilization, or even humanity; for ì*; seems bardir bu ans to fail in adope, those measures which experi ence has shown operate as deterrents to cr minals and as encourajements to reform of life; it seems hardly humane to continge a prison system in which the enforced association of oriminale is well known as tending to make the better class bad aud the bad worse."
It is much to be feared that many are de teriorated and corrapted by continned and com- pulsory association with the criminal class they wet in gaol. Then in another report:-
"As regards prison buildings I think I need
hardly add a word to my prari ns report, I despair of establishing a really satisfactory deterrent and reformatory prison discipline notil the separate system is introduced." Having read several other long extracts from the annual gaol reports in which the evils of the associated system were remarked upon. His Excellency proceeded:-1 think that is suthcient to show the opinion expressed in all the reports of the "uperintendents of the Gaol, both as regards the necessity for more space generally and the necessity for doing away with the evils of the associated system as well as the uscossity of adopting the deterrent effect of the separato system. It has been stated that we have had too many prisoners in the gaol, that the great object of the Colony s'afl be to reduce the anmber of prisoners instead of increasing the gaol accommodation. Well, that has been tried for several years and it is only in view of that and in the hope of its effectiveness that succes- sive Secret ins of State have authorised the putting off of the buldier of a new gaol. A few years ago it was urged that if the punishment of flogging was extended and deportation increased we would greatly reduce the au aber of prisouers. That has been done. Bath those systems hare beou adopted and the result has been that whereas the popu- tion has incz, ased from some 170,000 to 210,000 or 230.00 during the last ten years, on the other hand the average number of prisoners has hgen considerably diminished; but after all the number has only been diminished to the average of about 500. The present gaol, even if great expense were gove to in its alteration, could o accommodate about 3:0 on the separa system, The number of prisovers is now as low as it probably ever will be, rond you the require accomodation for 200 more. The Como ttes recommended the pro- vision of accommodation on the present site. with the result we see. The Secretary of Site. having e nsidered all that has been said on both eides, has tigally decided that the building of a new gnol is absolutely necessary and cannot be put off any longer. Therefore, as I have al- ready stated, the Government cannot withdraw from this. They have only put down the sma of $10,000, which will probably be required to be speut on the preparation of the site whenever that site is selected. But whatever site is select- ed none of this money ill be spent until the Public Works Committee have had the opportu- nity of disenssing it. It has just been suggested that it would be dosirable that a complete state- ment showing the opposite side to that demand by the Secretary of State should be prepared and submitted to him. I have not seen any such statement vet. If a statement confuting all I have read out just now is prepared I hare no doubt the new Governor will be quite pre- pared to submit it to the Secretary of State. In the meantime i vernment can only re-
quice that the vote uit be passed.
A division was then taken with the mon' that o four unofficial members present r..d for the amendment all the officials against it.
The amendmeu wa therefore lost.
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