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Geoff Robinson interviews Don McKenzie, former psychologist at Mt Eden prison and Director of Research with the Justice Department. [Capital punishment for all crimes except treason was abolished in New Zealand on 12 Oct 1961]
Mr McKenzie doubts the death penalty was a deterrent for murder, as most murders are impulsive crimes.
He describes the effect on Mt Eden prisoners when executions took place. He attended a hanging and says it was "absolutely dreadful, quite the most unforgettable event in my life, and I hope never to have such an experience again."
He describes the preliminaries to a hanging. Contrasts it with treatment of present day murderers and describes how murderers are paroled and rehabilitated.