79.—(1) The Minister must appoint a Board of Justices of the Peace, to be called the Board of Visiting Justices, of which all Magistrates are ex‑officio members.
(2) Each member of the Board of Visiting Justices —
(a)
holds office for a period not exceeding 2 years or for any other period that the Minister may determine;
(b)
may from time to time be re-appointed or at any time be removed from office by the Minister; and
(c)
may at any time resign from the member’s office by giving written notice to the Minister.
(3) A Visiting Justice —
(a)
may at any time visit any prison or reformative training centre and may inspect the several wards, cells, yards, solitary or punishment cells and other apartments or divisions of the prison, inspect and test the quality and quantity of the prisoners’ food, hear the complaints (if any) of the prisoners, and question any prisoner or prison officer;
(b)
must ascertain, so far as possible, whether the prison regulations are adhered to, and must call the attention of the Superintendent to any irregularity that may be observed in the working of the prison or reformative training centre or in the treatment of any prisoner confined therein; and
(c)
is to exercise and perform any other powers and duties that may be prescribed.
(4) The Board is to appoint one or more of its members to be, on rotation, a Visiting Justice or Justices of the prisons for each month of the year, and the Visiting Justice or Justices are to hear, try and dispose of any prison offences for which a report under section 74(1) has been made.
(5) Every Visiting Justice, for the purposes of this Act, has power to summon witnesses and to administer oaths.
(6) The Board must in relation to persons detained in reformative training centres exercise such functions as may be required of it by any written law.