The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1866-08-07 00:00:00

THE COUNTY GAOL

We obtain the following report of the Government
Inspector concerning the Dorset county gaol and
house of correction, from a Parliamentary blue-
book, recently laid before Parliament :
"Crinihrid prisoners : Committed In the year, 630
males, 116 females, total 746. Average distil number in
custody, 95 males, 17 females, totil 112. Re-
committals, 217 males, 45 females, total 202. Debtors, it
Greatest number of male prisoner“ at any one time,
100; female 18. Total expenditure for the prison,
1.'2,724 Os. 71. Average annual cost per prisoner, after
deducting the net profit on prisemers' lebour, 1:24 Gs. 5.1.
The male prisoners are employed in breaking stone,
cleaning the prism, cooking, making and mending the
prison clothes and shoe., and tho.e eentenced to hard
labour work the treadruil and hand-crack machines for
grinding corn for the prison and for the public. The
females are engaged in washing and mangling, making
and repairing the men's shirts and stocking., and their
own clothes and the bedding; they also clean their own
portion of the prison. The treadmills supply the prison
and the warders' pottage* with water. Each prisoner
labours at the treadmill 54 hours daily in adrniiier, and
5 hours in winter, exclusive of intervals of rest. Those
men excused from bard labour on the wheel by the
surgeon. work the hand-niill for a quarter of an hour at
a time, m
and rent • quarter of an hour. Tha risoners
work for 84 hours daily at Noe kind of employment.
The money actually received in the year for t several
products of the prisoners' labour, after deductine the
cost of materials, amounts to £lOl 12.. 24. The
prisoners axe allowed to take exercise every day, weather
permitting, at stated times, according to their different
sentences, the untried being &Rowel every alternate
hour during tho day. The weekly amount of food
supplied to the prisoners ix awarding to the dietary last
recommended by the Secretary of State, and which was
adopted only on the 15th September, 1864. All the
necessaries are supplied by contract. The average
weekly cost of food per head was 2s. Id. Eight
prisoners have received extra diet by order of the
surgeon for • period of 197 days In the suregate. The
Chaplain states that he reads prayers and lectures
daily in the chapel, end gives two full services on Mon.
days and the principal Christian festivals, and preaches
a sermon. He examines prisoners on their admission
and discharge, and admonishes them; visite the nick
and those under punishment. The schoolmaster
instructs the male prisoners for two hours in each week,
writes the prisoners' letter., distributes the books under
the supervision of the Chaplain, and act* as clerk in the
chapel. Prisoner' on their discharge are as.isted from
• charitable fund, whizb is solely under the manage.
went of the governor. Priponere of religious tlenomina•
teems differing from the Fstabli.hed Church, are always
allowed on application to receive the virita of their res-
pective ministers. Daily attendance is given by the
surgeon to examine every prisoner on admission, and
every prisoner and the whole of the gaol is inspected
twice a week. The prisoners' general health has been
good, and no epidemic has occurred. The provi.ions
were of good quality, and the dietary sufficient to sus-
tain the prisoners well in health. He considers the
clothing and bedding to be auffi.ient, and the warming.
ventilation, and drainage to be satidaetory. One
prisoner died in the year, and two insane prisoners were
transferred to lunatic asylums. Prisoners present on tl.e
day of inseam:Rion, 118; total on the same day last year,
101. The prisoners on the day of inspection were
employed as follows :—Males—On the treadmill, 60;
on the hand-mill, 2; cooks in the kitchen, 4; tailor, 1;
ahoemaker, 1 ; dry sewage shed, 1; gardening, 1; stone
cracking, 5 ; cleaning pripon (until noon), 8 Females
—Making prison shirts, ; washing cells, ; needle.
work, As., 12; cleaning female prison (till non), 2.
The dry sewage system has been introduced very gene-
rally in the prison with &willed 1R160.1., and it is also
hoped that it will result in conriderable profits, as the
farmers are eager to obtain it as a rood efficacious
manure. Fifty-one male and ten female prisoners have
been punished for prima offences..