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SATURDAY, AUGUST 13, 1977
PRISON OFFICER'S JOB REWARDING
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THERE ARE VERY FEW FIELDS OF WORK IN WHICH PEOPLE HAVE MORE OPPORTUNITY TO DO AN IMPORTANT AND RESPONSIBLE JOB THAN THAT OF A PRISON OFFICER.
THIS WAS STATED BY THE RETIRING INSPECTOR OF PRISONS, SENIOR SUPER INTENDENT DAVID HAMPTON WHEN HE ADDRESSED 79 GRADUATING OFFICERS AND ASSISTANT OFFICERS AT A PASSING-OUT PARADE AT THE PRISONS DEPARTMENT'S STAFF TRAINING INSTITUTE IN STANLEY THIS (SATURDAY) MORNING.
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MR. HAMPTON ADDED +AMONG PRISON OFFICERS YOU WILL ALWAYS FIND A GREAT SENSE OF PRIDE IN BELONGING TO THE SERVICE AND AN AWARENESS THAT THEY ARE CARRYING OUT A WORTHWHILE TASK, DESPITE THE FACT THAT MOST OF WHAT THEY DO CANNOT BE PUBLICISED BECAUSE IT AFFECTS INDIVIDUALS WHO HAVE SUCCESSFULLY BEEN REHABILITATED, AND THUS GOES UNRECOGNISED BY SOCIETY AT LARGE.+
RECALLING HIS OWN CAREER WITH THE SERVICE, MR. HAMPTON SAID WHEN HE JOINED THE DEPARTMENT SOME 30 YEARS AGO THERE WAS ONLY ONE ORDINANCE UNDER WHICH THE DEPARTMENT OPERATED AND THE ONLY
INSTITUTIONS WERE PRISONS AND THEN THERE WERE ONLY TWO.
TODAY, HE STRESSED, THERE ARE FOUR ORDINANCES AND THE DEPARTMENT ADMINISTERS 17 DIFFERENT ESTABLISHMENTS WHICH INCLUDE TREATMENT, TRAINING AND DETENTION CENTRES, RECEPTION CENTRES AND A PSYCHIATRIC CENTRE,
MR. HAMPTON SAID THAT EVEN WITH A SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION OF THE PRISON POPULATION THERE WOULD ALWAYS BE A NEED TO CONTAIN CERTAIN TYPES OF OFFENDERS UNDER SECURE CONDITIONS.
+ IN MY OPINION AND CONTRARY TO THE OPINION OF SOME, IMPRISONMENT HAS PROVED TO BE THE MOST DURABLE OF PENAL METHODS AND WILL CONTINUE TO DOMINATE ANY CORRECTIONAL SETTING.+
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