§ 51. Mr. Patrick Jenkinasked the Attorney-General if he will introduce legislation empowering a civil court which commits a person to prison for contempt of court to order that person to defray part or all of the expense to the public incurred by reason of his imprisonment.
§ The Attorney-GeneralNo. Where a person is sent to prison for contempt it is usually because there is no other effective means of enforcing the court's order. In cases of this kind I do not think it would be practicable to try to recover from the offender the cost of maintaining him in prison.