1939-07-24 — Page 9

THE CHINA MAII, JULY 24, 1939

Page, 9.

LARGE-SCALE PRISON REFORM IN HONG KONG Major Willcock Outlines Schemes In Project Approved Schools

For Juvenile Delinquents

ANGLO-POLISH AIR FORCE COORDINATION

London, To-day. Co-ordination of the Polish Air

is

reported in the "Sunday Times" to

be direct outcome of the discus- with the Polish military authorities. sions Sir Edmund Ironside has had

· A striking experiment with juvenile delinquents in

the Colony of Hong Kong is to be carried out Force with the Royal Air Force on one of the islands, if the plans of Major J. L. Willcocks, Governor of Prisons mature, he told the Y.M.C.A. Discussion Group last night. His Excellency the Governor, he said, was doing all he could to help make the scheme a success. Speaking on "Prison Reform," mum period of three years training Major Willcocks said that reform will be necessary and I am asking meant putting wrong things right. for legislation to this effect." He At Stanley Prison, where was accommodation for 1,500 pri-Magistrate last Tuesday, in which there quoted from the remarks of a local soners, they had in actual fact the magistrate, sentencing a boy, about 2,900 men, of whom only a said:-

· bare 400 were serving sentences of a year; of these, only 200 were in gaol for erimes with violence.

over

on

paper says, that joint training flights by the air forces of the two It was further envisaged, the

countries would be held in the ports would be used as a base. near future, in which Polish air

A joint Command is to be creat- ed for at least a part of the air forces.

smooth

co-operation of

boys who will grow up to be a habi- "Before me is just one of those tual criminal. I could do something to be separate but a commission of The command of the ́armiesis He felt that in actual fact only tory School in Hong Kong. But we tary experts is to be formed to for this youth if we had a Reforma- English, French and Polish mili- : 500 of these men should be in have'nt. So I have got to send him assure prison; the others should be made to carry out some form of compul-

to prison where, I have sory labour, under supervision, but slightest doubt, the influence not in prison with the real pro-

him will be no good at all.” fessional criminal. That was the

The term "Approved School" first reform he would strive for.

the name the Colonial Progress on these lines had al-sisted on these local Borstals Office ready started. By the end of the ing called. year, the first working camp: of 200 men would-be established at Aberdeen, reclaiming swamp-land. STANLEY STEP

The contamination of first offen- ders by regular criminals should be avoided. At Stanley at the mo- ment, the prison was divided into first offenders and previous. offen- ders, who never met except in hos- pital where, at the moment, it was unavoidable.

work-

and

not the their forces.

The paper further reports that a meeting of the military head of, was the three countries is to take place be-the in- in Paris in the near future but exact date, as well as the question of whether or not Ruman- HONOUR SYSTEM

ian and Turkish representatives Describing the experiment- side Nairobi, Kenya, he said that decided......-

out- are to take part, has still not been

Trans-Ocean. the Approved School there started in Stanley Prison included with 100 boys. Boys got the mini-shops, where clothing and so on mum sentence of 8 years after even was made, as well as boots petty offences, such as stealing bicycle or half a sack of potatoes, ting shops; black and tinsmiths ashoes; carpentery shops; coir mat- but their families and antecedents were looked into first.

shops; Government printing; and The honour system

laundry work, was used wih these little

Outside work included It was also necessary to separ- some

West Africans, malarial measures up the Tytam anti- ate all remand prisoners, debtors vicious

of whom

were really Bay valley; the moving of stones and destitutes from these

little criminals. Yet from two and they would march to chapel, 21⁄2 beaches; pick and shovel work practical measures had been taken miles away, without any escort other connection with a leper block being of the Repulse Bay in this connection.

in In about two than some of their senior comrades. added to the prison; and odd jobs months time, such men would be Other boys, with a good record be-of grass cutting and so on. established in the old Victoria hind them, were given a gaol, which would be renamed thement bicycle, their "Victoria Remand Prison.”

uniform

PRISONERS AID "I am convinced that this will shorts and they were sent no less for them by the prison, only by changed to an ordinary shirt and

With regard to discharged. Euro- bring great benefits to 'all concern than 10 miles, through native pre-visitors from outside. As a re- pean prisoners, nothing was done ed," he said,

But all such measures were at

serves and the native districts ofsult of discussion following this the wrong end; they were for adult the town, with "important mes- prisoners, whereas it was really de-ages" to his office. The messages Group decided to form a small com- point, the Y.M.C.A. Discussion sirable that they should concen-

were not really important, but the trate on the juvenile delinquents.boys did not know that.

COMMITEE SET UP

govern-

was

of

During the last 18 months his tenure of office there, boys were sent with auch messages twice month, yet there was not a single case of a boy who did not

go straight back after delivering the message.

-

mittee to look into this matter and to get into touch with the Prisoners' locks promised his full support. Aid Societies at home. Major Wil-

juveniles, he said he himself would Returning to the subject of the like to see it started on one of the small islands; he was looking at one or two now. There would, be no wires or any of the prison at- the supervision of two European and mosphere, and it would be under officers. It would be at least 18 months, however, before they could really get started with the scheme.

A small committee consisting of the First Police Magistrate, the Commissioner of the Frison, and Major Willocks himself had been appointed by His Excellency the Governor to look into the mat- ter and to make recommendations.

NO BETRAYALS The basic element of any such

Other boys collected mails scheme was to see that the prison so on, and they never had a case atmosphere was avoided and that of a trusted boy betraying his the boys were given as much work trust. There were, of course, se and exercise in the open air as pos- veral escapes from the school itself, sible.

but without exception these were His experience of a similar of boys in the first six months of scheme started in West Africa had their entering.

In conclusion, Major Willocks shown him that boys were prac-

“These were Africans, but I do punishment system in the Prison said that he would like to see the tically the same in any part of the think that after we have had a changed in favour of some system world. His Excellency the Gov few trials, and possibly ernor was very keen on the scheme. disappointments, that we will get cipline lost priviléges. A

lot of whereby offenders against prison dig- A prison should only be kept the same spirit among the boys of for the men who were really Hong Kong and that they will do yond all hope.

the right thing, as these boys did

"

“APPROVED SCHOOLS". “Experience in these Approved 200ls has-

us that a mini,

||

African

PUNISHMENT SYSTEMSZ

system of "lowing the men

He would like to institute the

moke, and withdrawale of lega might be well be an lcocks said that the work done the means now prevalling.

stitus (for, punishment

Answering ・・・ questions,

Major

tive

BLOOD ALLEY BATTLE: STORY OF CONFESSION

rested in the Blood Alley battle have confessed to the Municipal

Shanghai, To-day.

It is reported that the men ar-

Police that they were inspired by tack on the Sino-American Daily Japanese agents to stage the at-

News (Wah Mei Pao).

con-

telephone message were received by the paper, warning the owners to After the incident, a letter, and a

suspend publication, or face tinuation of "incidents." uniformed and plain-clothes police The police have placed about 30 officers in front of the daily.

that a Japanese who was found in diately after the incident has been An unconfirmed report states an alleyway near the daily imme- detained for questioning. Our Own Correspondent.

Game trékstraat kid, rocilor

Bisbal

BERGNER

Michael

REDGRAVE Stolen Life

WILFRED LAWSON - Richard Binles Mobel Terry Lewis, Clement MeCollin Kenneth Buckley

Produced and Directed by PAUL CZINNER

Paramount Release

SHE LIVED A LIE... to gain a love she had never lost!

ADDED!

A

RARE MUSICAL TREAT! “MOMENTS OF CHARM”

In Technicolour? With the Famed SPITALNY ALL-GIRLS ORCHESTRA'

WEDNESDAY.

QUEEN'S