District Probation Office Letter 1977

DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

J. 238
In reply please quote:
RECEIVED
15 JUL 1977

Address all correspondence to:
THE DISTRICT PROBATION OFFICER,
HASTINGS
Telephone 66 139

District Probation Office
P. O. Box 424

13 July 1977

Secretary
Hastings Rotary Club
P.O.Box 752
HASTINGS

PERIODIC DETENTION WORK CENTRE – MILLER STREET HASTINGS – Representative to be Member for Advisory Committee

1.   BACKGROUND This scheme was introduced in New Zealand in 1962 when legislation – The Criminal Justice Amendment Act 1962 – was passed to administer the scheme.  In the same year an Advisory Committee was formed by the Secretary for Justice to nurture the idea.

In the following year, the first Work Centre was established in Auckland.

The aim of the scheme was to provide a salutary lesson to undisciplined young offenders but not to interfere with their normal employment.  They would live at the Work Centre during weekends and do approved community work on Saturdays.

Since that time, Work Centres have been established in all major cities in New Zealand and the scheme which is linked with the Probation Service, has been expanded to include adult offenders.

Work Centres may be residential i.e. offenders live in during weekends or non residential i.e. reporting centres only.

2.   ADVISORY COMMITTEE   (1)   The members of this committee comprise a cross section of the community of responsible citizens selected because of their experience in the professions, commerce, social services, service organisations and trade unions.

(2)    The main functions of this committee whose members serve in an honorary capacity (chaired by the Senior Local Magistrate) act as liaison between the Work Centre and the Community.

A further important function of the committee is its responsibility of approving or rejecting community work requested.

3.   I therefore request your Club/Secretary to select a member to form the Advisory Committee. Please supply me with a resume of this person’s background etc. At your earliest.

4.   I hope to have all selected names for the Advisory Committee in by the end of this month. These names are then forwarded to the Minister for Justice for his approval and appointment.

GW Cherrington
(G. W. Cherrington)
District Probation Officer

DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

J. 238
In reply please quote:

Address all correspondence to:
THE DISTRICT PROBATION OFFICER,
HASTINGS
Telephone 66 139

District Probation Office
P. O. Box 424

9 August 1977

Secretary
Hastings Rotary Club
PO Box 752
HASTINGS

PERIODIC DETENTION WORK CENTRE HASTINGS

Yours of the 8 August to hand.

The information you require is as follows:

1.   Size of Committee – Chairman (Senior Magistrate) Secretary (Probation) and approximately 7 members from Organisations – Rotary, City Council plus Welfare, Lions Club, Trades Council including ex officio member from Police and Social Welfare Departments.

2.   Initially the Committee will meet monthly until Centre is running smoothly. The meetings will be held at the Magistrates Court Hastings.

3.   The Committee is a cross section of responsible citizens who have been selected because of their experience in the professions, commerce, social services, service organisations and trade councils. Maybe through working in the Committee ideas will emerge.

4.   The main function of the Committee, whose members serve in an honorary capacity (a) is to act as liaison between the Work Centre and the Community (b) for approving or rejecting community work requests involving detainee labour submitted to it by the Warden.

5.   The letters were sent to the Organisations mentioned in 1 above – all of whom have selected their member. These names will then be forwarded to Secretary for Justice for Minister of Justice to approve or otherwise.

GW Cherrington
(G. W. Cherrington)
District Probation Officer

Jack/Cliff
“To be taken to the Club at a volunteers requested”.
Bill Pascoe