The Express.
London, England, 1847-09-24 00:00:00

LY CONGRESS AT BRUSSELS.

-
DAL—SEPT. 22.—Bneinese was commenced '
at one o'clock, after the return of the m:mbers from their
visit to the prison at Vilvorde, where they were received by
the governor of Brabant and the authorities of the establish-
ment.
H. VAN HORREBEILE, one of the secretaries, read the mi-
nutes of the proceedings of the former meeting. After • few
observations, the minutes were approved of.
H. Btorier pointed out the necessity of having accommo-
dation for more prisoners than habitually reside in the re-
spective establishments, in order to provide for a sudden in-
crease of inmates. An article in favour of that opinion WAS
ado
ciiieussion was then opened on the following subject
or proposition : The buildings should be diepeoci in such
manner as to facilitate the various duties, without any con-
fusion. To that effect it is indispensable to separate the
prison, properly so called, from the accessory localities destined
for the directors and other persons employed. The external
communicitions may be maintained without exercising any
influence on the preservation of order within. With that
view messengers, purveyors, &c., should never come into
metact with the prisoners Each branch of the service
should be carried on in some respects in an independent
manner, with reference, however, to the principal direction
from which it receives its impulse.
H. HARDY-ROMAIN (architect of the Matson Centrale at
Caen) spoke on the above subject. He observed that the
architects who had studied the question would cheerfully,
and, if he might he allowed to say so, ably, carry out all the
plans adopted by congresses like the present one. He, for
his put, bad drawn up plans in which, on one side, the
severest discipline, that of perpetual seclusion, was adopted,
and in which, on the other, the prisoners might be allowed
to go out. He was fully convinced that the Italian brigand,
who believed in God, hat who killed his fellow men ; that
the French pickpocket, who believed in no one ; that the
Englishman expelled from his factory ; and that the Belgian
criminal, who preserved some religious faith, should not be
all placed in common in the same establishment. He was
convinced that the cellular system wu, on the whole, the best.
He did not think, however, that the present congress
wished that the cells should be kept constantly shut, bat
though rather that they might be closed when thought fit,
direct communication might be allowed between the in-
mates and the directors, guardians, &c., of the prisons. He
felt that it was the duty of architects to make such arrange-
ments as would enable each prisoner to carry on some
Bade or occupation in his cell, consequently it would be
ae?essary to construct cells of various sizes. The speaker
objected to the prisoners attending divine service in common.
He wished that the cells should be open, so to speak, in
order that the directors might exercise a surveillance at all
lours He was jealous of anything like a free communica-
tion between the gaolers and the prisoners. He expressed
the hope that prisons should be so constructed as to
render the physical as well as the moral amelioration of the
prisoners possible. He was in favour of bringing up youth-
ful delinquents to agricultural rather than industrial pur-
suits at least in France; for he had studied the question
chiefly in a French point of view. He was of opinion that
persons sentenced to imprisonment for minor offences should
have the faculty of being sent to agricultural colonies, if they
wished, and if they received permission to that effect:
that with respect to persons condemned for serious offences,
they should undergo oae-third of their punishment before
being sent to the agricultural colonies ; and with reference
to those in the tropes, that they should be employed in those
colonies after undergoing two-thirds of their punishment.
In fact, he was in favour of • graduated scale of punishment.
Lieut.-Col. Jane remarked that there was an intimate
connexion between the construction and the discipline of •
prison. He was impressed with the necessity of having the
serious departments and the various offices of the establish-
ment kept quite distinct one from the other, with • conve-
nient mode of access to the centre and the cells. It was also
emential that the families of the officers should not live in
the prisons; that the latter should come to their employ-
ment at a certain hour during the day, and attend alter-
nately at night. He saw by a paragraph in the programme
that it was proposed not to construct prisons with more than
three stories, including the ground floor. He thought,
however, that when the number of prisoners amounted
to 700 or 800, it would be moro convenient to have
four stories than very long wings. With respect to the
attending of divine worship, a mode existed in Pentonville
and other places by which all the prisoners might proceed
separately to the church or chapel, and hear and see the per-
son officiating, without being seen by any one except by
him. The time occupied in proceeding to and departing from
divine service was seven minutes respectively. He had been
mach pleased with his visit to the Vilvorde prison; but he
regretted to find that, although the chapel war in the centre,
it was looked at from the dining-room. He felt thoroughly
convinced that although judicious employment was highly
instrumental in reforming prisoners, religion after all was
the most powerful lever of improvement. (Cheers.) With
respect to the sine of cells, he thought that, as a general role,
they should be about 13 feet long, 7 broad, and from 8 to 9
fret high. Of course it would be necessary sometimes to
make larger cells for special purposes.
H.HAZON-ROMAIN remarked that the expenses of pur-
thating land for the construction of such large establish-
Mats es penitentiaries, would not be so great es might be
thought, for the worst kind of soil would be good enough for
them. Vegetables for the use of the inmates might be raised
/*them, and there would be no lack of manure. He saw
with regret that in some prisons the inmates were kept
closely in their cells at work, but he thought that, occa-
sioaslly, agricliltural pursuits would produce more moral
results_

M. MOREAr Ca moron[]; said he could not understand very
well the idea of a combination of agricultural occupation with
cellular imprisonment. He admitted that the public walks
in the prisons might, if the authorities liked, be turned into
gardens ; but he could not see how persona subjected to the
system of solitary confinement could be employed in agricul-
ture. lie would ask M. Heron Romain how lie intended to
bring the prisoners to a chapel on a plot of ground t a die-
lance from the establishment ?

11.11aiox itox•ts explained that there could be no great
difficulty in watching over prisoners conducted to church at
• diatonic. In order to prevent them from being recog-
ailed by one another, it was sufficient to make them wear a
species of cap which should cover their features more effec-
tually than the one employed at Pentonville. He was In
favour of giving the prisoners a Sunday drew. With re-
spect to agricultural employment, a large extent of ground
night be purchased, bounded by walls, on which a gallery
should be constructed for the guardians. The use of the cap,
sad • species of capacious blouse, would sufficiently disguise
the prisoners while at work. Only • few might be em-
ployed at a time, and each might be placed at a distance one
Von the other. The speaker entered into a full explanation
of his plan for adapting agricultural occupation to the prin-
ciple of solitary confinement.
The proposition forming the regular subject of discussion
was then put to the meeting and adopted, as were also the
following ones:—The number of stories should not be more
• _ .