11

H.—2o

Habitual criminals (3), the definite portion of whose sentences had expired, were transf to the New Plymouth Prison; and reformative-detention prisoners to the number of 11, inclusive of 2 females, were, on the recommendation of the Prisons Board, released from imprisonment on probationary license and transferred to other districts, leaving 8 and 11 of the respective da here at the close of the year; .'i of the latter are still serving the hard-labour portion of their sentences. Two hard-labour prisoners, and 1 on remand for medical treatment, having shown unsoundness of mind, were removed to the Mental Hospital, and their terms of imprisonment expired while there. There were 3 deaths —2 males at the Christohuroh Hospital, and 1 at the Casualty Ward, l.\ Melton, the last the result of an accident. An inquest was held in eacli case. In the first two, verdicts were returned that death w.is due to natural causes; and in the last, that death was due to an accident, no blame being attachable to any one. One male prisoner was executed, death being instantaneous. The greatest number of both sexes in confinement at any one time was 160; the least number, 116; and the daily average, 13205—males, 127"34; females, 171. The health of the prisoners, generally speaking, was very good; most of the cases of sickness, 27 of which exceeded forty-eight hours in duration, were of a minor and trifling nature; 3 males and 1 female were sent to the district Hospital during the year. On the whole, the conduct of prisoners was good, and the degree of industry, with exceptions, satisfactory. The Visiting Justices punished 21 males and \ females lor the commission of various minor prison offences. There were no escapes, attempts to escape, or aggravated prison offences to record. All articles of diet supplied by the contractors were of excellent quality; complaints in connection therewith from prisoners were nil. Prisoners wore employed, as in the previous year, for the Lyttelton Borough Council and the Defence Department, at the Artillery Barracks and Ripa Island, quarrying, stone-dressing, stone-breaking, wall-building, and much other miscellaneous work. A party of 10 prisoners was stationed at Addington Prison for females for some months, effecting repairs and alterations thereto, and generally putting the premises in good order, subsequently pulling down many old buildings, cleaning away the debris, and putting the extensive grounds in order, and planting the whole outside-prison area with vegetable seeds and plants. A word of praise is due to officers and prisoners alike fur the good work 1 accomplished there. Alterations and repairs to the wing here, vacated by the female prisoners, are nearing completion, and it will soon be ready for occupation by unconvicted prisoners, those under sentences of reformative detention, and debtors, there being ample provision for the separation of these three classes from one another and from the ordinary hard-labour prisoners. Excellent work has been done by those prisoners employed in the prison workshops at bootmaking, tailoring, &c. Generally speaking, the officers carried out their duties fairly satisfactorily. Sunday services were held as heretofore by representatives of the different religious denominations. The First Offenders' Probation Act and Crimes Amendment Act. There were no first offenders on the register of this probation district at the beginning of the year, and none were placed on probation by the local Courts during the twelve months. Under the Crimes Amendment Act, 9 male and 2 female reformative-detention prisoners were released on probationary license on the recommendation of the Prisons Board. With the exception of 1 male —permitted to leave the Dominion for the United Kingdom —all were transferred to other districts, as also was 1 male on the books at the commencement of the year. One male received on transfer from another district was subsequently transferred elsewhere. In July the only 2 males on this register at that time, and included in the transfers noted •above, were placed under the jurisdiction of the Probation Ofiicer at Christchurch appointed in that month under the Crimes Act for persons released from imprisonment under the provisions of the Crimes Amendment Act, 1910. I have, &c, T. R. POINTON, The Under-Secretary for Justice, Wellington. Gaoler and Probation Officer.

HANMEII SPRINGS PRISON. Sir,— H.M. Prison, Lyttelton, 24th April, 1914. I have the honour to report on the working of the Hanmer Springs Prison for the year ending 31st December, 1913. I took charge of the prison on the 23rd April, 1913, and carried on until the closing of the camp, on the 4th November, 1913. There were 22 prisoners in custody at the beginning of the year, 1 was received during the year, 5 prisoners undergoing reformative detention were released on probation by the Prisons Board, 8 were discharged, and 10 transferred to other prisons. The usual work was carried out for the Forestry Department, but owing to the camp being closed before the end of the year a summary of the work 'lone is not included in this report. I have, <fee. D. Blain, The Under-Secretary for Justice, Wellington. Acting-Gaoler.