This Act may be cited as the Prisons Amendment Act, 1919, and shall be read together with and deemed part of the Prisons Act, 1908 (hereinafter referred to as the principal Act).

There shall be appointed an officer of the Public Service, to be called the Controller-General of Prisons, who shall, subject to the control of the Minister of Justice, be charged with the general administration of the Prisons Act, 1908.

The officer who at the commencement of this Act holds office as Inspector of Prisons under the principal Act shall be deemed to have been appointed as Controller-General of Prisons under this Act, and shall hold office accordingly, and shall receive, until other provision is made in that behalf, the same salary as was received by him as Inspector of Prisons.

There shall be appointed as Inspectors of Prisons such number of persons, of either sex, as may be deemed necessary.

The officer who at the commencement of this Act holds office as Deputy Inspector of Prisons under the Prisons Amendment Act, 1912, shall be deemed to have been appointed an Inspector of Prisons under this Act, and shall hold office accordingly, and shall receive, until other provision is made in that behalf, the same salary as was received by him as Deputy Inspector of Prisons.

Section twenty of the principal Act and section three of the Prisons Amendment Act, 1912, are hereby repealed.

Section eighteen of the principal Act is hereby amended by omitting the words “and also for the inspection of prisons by an Inspector to be appointed as hereinafter provided.”

The Controller-General of Prisons and the Inspectors of Prisons shall receive such salaries and allowances as may be lawfully appointed in that behalf.

The Inspectors of Prisons shall from time to time, in pursuance of the directions of the Controller-General of Prisons and in accordance with regulations made in that behalf by the Governor-General, visit and inspect all prisons and report thereon to the Controller-General, and shall also perform such other duties as the Minister of Justice may require of them in relation to the administration of the Prisons Act, 1908, or as to other matters under the control of the Minister.

The Inspectors of Prisons shall have and may exercise in respect of every prison all the powers conferred on Visiting Justices by section seventeen of the principal Act.

Notwithstanding anything contained in the principal Act or in any other Act, a prisoner may be removed from any prison to any other prison by the order in writing of the Controller-General of Prisons made for any reason which he deems sufficient, but nothing in this section shall take away or affect any other power of removal conferred by the principal Act or otherwise.

Section seven of the principal Act is hereby amended by omitting from subsection one the words “under the hands of two or more of the Visiting Justices,” and substituting the words “from the Controller-General of Prisons.”

Section seventeen of the principal Act is hereby amended by omitting from paragraph (e) the word “Minister,” and substituting the words “Controller-General of Prisons.”

Section twenty-one of the principal Act is hereby amended by omitting from paragraph (d) the word “Minister,” and substituting the words “Controller-General of Prisons.”

For the purpose of conveying any person to or from a prison, or for the purpose of apprehending any person who may have escaped from a prison or who may have escaped while being conveyed to or from a prison, every prison officer while engaged in any such duty shall have all the powers, protections, and privileges of a constable.