The Express.
London, England, 1849-07-12 00:00:00

THE OOVEENSIENT
RTAT lON. PLAN OF TRANS-
PO

teentreed.—from the dlelsirja &vire.]
'he Separate system is not only a better at stem than
elasaification in proventiog evd, bet the puaishmeat is far
more severe. Besides the restraint of imprisonment. there
I. the additioaal 'aeries exclaimed by solitude, which to
criminals is peculiarly rnotieful. " The refermattif7 cha•
Tome of earl • pot
,(says Ipotesi) is, to such mums, an
object of real terror. ' Tbo 01 elmeificefica ka,
bun so penerally surrendered, ihal ale femme has 01 late
been en Amid to nights **Miami easiest the working at
We separate system. Ts* first is of a negative kind; it is
affirmed that the separate system is not reformatory. This
is to miarre the case. It ta sot contended that any mode
of imprisonment is, in itrelf, reformatory. If a bed man
could be converted into a good man by the simple expedient
of Atari g him up in ball by himself, criminal legislation
you'd inued be ea toy task. The utmost that is claimed
for the system of **parades Is, that it is an amiliary mescy,
and that it renders reformation po.sibla. It books off
habits and evil ass ciatioss. It easthines labour sad merit
teaching. it prepares the way for the only direct reforms.
try agency which it is given to Imam beiags to use towards
each ott•er—instruction in religion by good men, ',gritty to
be its representatives, and who* lives are a walks' to its
truth and power.
It Is almost superfluous to argue, that the inland in
whir& the "evil of good is to be sows' might to be, isms@
degree, prepared for its receptiou. For this pespsso, k
II rift advantage that we are able es sown
the peser from daily tummies and
meat I. evil; that, by solitude, we can sober=
from the iatoxisatiog enticement of • vicious life; sad, It
moderate diet, lower the tone of the physical home, mil
subdue the violence of the animal appetite". In such a con-
dition the men becomes susceptible to morel and religious
insprsmi ; even real penitence may be felt. It Is quite
possible east the repentance may be abort, and weak against
itature temptations ; but still it is of unspeakable import-
ance. lbw shall we hope to realise the end, it we despise
the beginning ? Is the flame to be kindled, if we, by oar
perverse legislation, systematically quench the sacking fiat?
Instead of turning back to count the cost of the first step,
shall we so: rather go on with ohs good work ?
The more
mode
objections to the system, as poetised
in the model prison at Penteaville, are the comforts
enjoyed, under it, by the primates, comparedwith the
pr.vatione of the ,honest labourer while, somewhat is
oentradictian to this all( gation, its restraints are at
the same time denounced, for being so caw* as
to break down Ike body and mind, sad lead to disease and
Insanity. it is the bel• necessary to go at any length bete
these objectams at present, since this part of the ass boo
been effectually disposed of in a recant Number (163) of the
" Quarterly Review." But we mast say a word or two der
cumin m
We are shown the picture of the Docutshire peassat,
ground down by tameless labour, with insufficient food,
suety clothing, little fuel, a miserable cottage, and a half-
starred family : con•rated with this is the Pentonville pri-
soner—in • comfortable all, with plenty of toed, abundasco
of clothieg, artificial warmth and raitilatioa, stediaal at-
tendance. may work, and a seheolmaster to teach him. The
unanswerable reply to all such objections is the statement of
the fact—and that it is a fact is proved by astual experiment
—that all these aids are absolutely required to enable the
prisoner to bear his punishment. The point to be ascer-
tained was this man being under cottinement in air
of a certain temperature, and having to perform a certain
amount of work, what is the smallest quantity of food which
will support him in health ? To decide this question a series
of experiments was undertaken, and five different dietaries
were in succession adopted.
Under the first diitary, which was the lowest, no la's
than 80 per cent. of the prisoners offered a serious Is.
of weight and strength. The second dietary wee thin
tried, by which the prisoners received an increased
quentity of Woad: seder its operation the debility sad
!mikado c 'Mimed; bat the loss of weight was not se
great as before, and the per tentage of the prisms?' elided
by it was reduced to 43. Under the third dietary, tbe
meat was increased, and the bread diminished back to the
quantity allowed I. the first dietary: the result of this
was to increase the strength ; but the men again fell of in
weight, and continued to do so, until the Ines amounted ki
121lles. per man on 86 per cent. of the whole number. The
fourth dietary, giving an increased &Rowse*, of potatoes, was
thee adopted, and it reduced the per tentage from 86 to 22.
And the fifth dietary—the ono now in use—by the addition
of • small quantity of bread, brought the average loss of
weight per man to 1 ;lb. on 16 per cent. Further ex-
periments led to the confirmation of this scale as the smallest
average quantity of food on which the prisoners could be
maintained in health; although they points I out some curi-
ous modifications which might be introduced with Wreath
to the age and stature of individuals It is important, also,
to remark, that, on an ate of 423 prisoners, 37 required
extra diet, even under the fullest allowance of food to which
we have alluded.
Now, if it be admitted that a prisoner is sentenced to im-
prisonment, and not to the hosa of health, and that these are
the results of actual experiments made under the direction
of such eminent men as Broils and Fergana, we do not see
what room is left for argument, or for mewling that the pri-
soner is teo well fed. The amount of his physical comforts
has been carefully adjusted to his capacity of endurance : if
diminished, he is found to droop, and the powers of life to
fade away. So far from the food and accommodation of a
prisoner being justly an object of save to the free peasant,
the punishment of impr:sonment Is shown in this respect to
be carried to its maximum ; and only to stop short of de-
stroying health. The diepsrity which prevails between the
dietaries of different prisons, and which may be estimated
by. the difference in their cost, proms nothing except local
intsmanarment. "In ono county gaol " (says Mr. Field)
" It amounts to within a fraction of 81. ; in another it doss
not exceed it."
The principal ailment. which require watching in Penton-
vale, as well as in all other prisons, are tubercular scrofula
and romans' tioa, and mental derangement. It is difficult
to draw any comparison which can be relied on between the
condition of Pentoaville prisoners with regard to mental and
bodily health, and that of other prisenen, or of criminals at
liberty. Sofar as the statistical MUM go, the results are
much in favour of Nutmeats; tank should be remembered
that the persons confined there, though orksineb, were se-
lected criminals. end a large proportioe of them came from
the country. It is remarkable, also, what apparently tri-
vial precautions reduced the ratio Glibness. The fine dust
reasisism in the cells at night was supposed to have in.
erearal the cases of consumption. After proper precautions
had been taken to remove it, the ratio per 1,000 of deaths
frees coassmotion fell from 1117 to 4 MI The deaths in Pen-
tenville in 1847 were only 14 la 1,000. la the metropolitan
district, la the some year, the deaths Oaks between the
ages of 20 sad 10 years were 1318 fa 1,000.
That the to decry of prolonged separate confinement
is to sleet the mind, tannin be denied; and it is a
very important Mean in the pusidimeat. Its soften-
lag poems is lesublible. As wax before the ma, so ,
doeb the lemest mind yield at lug to this terrible sol- '
mat. But we semi admit that this is as evil.
To expect that a mind long abeesiemed to every bed
ropeasity, fined Mee beikW, and Imedsnoil by the ordinary
paaishmeats, dwell be .ehetualy a sd wpm except by a
sharp and searching instruname, sums ter the vainest of
sit vela Imps. An kosterste dimes requires powerful me-
edam, and raids the potter. It is ammthing to have at
our soinmaad a curative promos, which tames the wildest
&ad subtler' the most stubbcra. No doubt the &petiolate&
to the human mind of an agent of sash forth implies an awful
reoponsihility, and demands the extremist care. It is toe
valuable to be thrown aside,—sad it is too penetrating to be
wasted hi the heads of mend cruel, or ornerier, or
ict.
or mobsermat minds. It must be used with
tits sad watched with jealousy. Lowe trial may be gi-
t"l ft point out more clearly the time at which
rsopeetios of imprisonment should eesse. Present
aparineee emus to show that the majteity of pri-
soners may mango separate isapristmaseut for eighteen
swaths without mental injury, although there is a loos
cr physical power; but that no Meld improvement takes
place after fiftesa months. In so serious a question, the
authorities loam to the side of caution ; and the general
opinion is, that twelve months Mould not be exceededecept under esey peculiar cireamemems, and even then
that great waislifelsola would be essessory. The period
will very mach depend upon the asetrivaneee that can be
devised kr meeting exceptional aaaa, and for diminishing
the isoliag solitarineu without iaMagiag on the principle
of seperabee. Bat whatever changes may be made in the
details, the experiment itself hal now been in operation at
during a, prnricod of six • And it bas de-

should, at some period of his life, tsemiler the cost of the
criminal from the public to himself. This inquiry can
oily be answered approximately. The value of the pro,nerty
takes by 500 Benteeville prisoners, as estimated at their
trials, was above 10,0001., or an average of 201. per man :
gad this sum only represents the &snuff( n to property by
one felony—the [eat, but not therefore the worst, of • series
of crimes. Tee number of convictions for felonies in the
metropolitan district in 1848 was 3,137, and the value of the
lost was 44,8661. ; in addition to all those robberies,
PwrGar do sot come under the notice of the pollee. Bow
many theselarbe, it is quite impossible to say but in
forgery, a ly dangerous career of crime, end which
is systems Ballyca prosecuted by the bank, the proportion of
convictions to offences was only lin 103. TIM susidpal
council in Liverpool, is 1836, estimated the manual loss
by crime is that tows at 700.0001. The number of
keewn thieves is the metropolis alone is 6,000 In Eng-
land and Wales, the somber of mesas living wholly, es-
elusive of those living partially by depredation, is estimated
at 40,000. The prism population varies from 12,000 to
20,000. The avenge career of impunity to common thieves
is about els years, et • which time their daily expenditure
incredible. A gins the following description
27:::t takes place at a lodging-house for trampen:—
" all lived well, never ate any broken meat, had meat
, good dinner+, hot "uppers, and frequently smiled
to bed very drunk ; not one stet tie
than those
a day, many a peat deal MON. As they obtain
?olmqe receiven of coke goods only from one-eighth In
me-third of the valise of the property stolen, we sennet
=the !ASS to 11141 commonity at less than from tea Is
a day. In other words, • thief costs the
eiromenffed 1501 a year while at liberty. In mhos
dieser be missed to ham 201. to 301. But if redsemerlffin
be mos 4.11/94e cans cr other of these charges must matins
tiessumelader of his life. After allowing for Wee-
k these calculations, sufficient remains to prove,
that, whatever be the cost ol the *mkt during the Me
that he is under the control of the government, the @yds=
whisk eventually succeeds in making him support himself, b
beyond all question the moat economical. Reformation is
cheep at any price.
The last argument we shall notice, is the one which as-
sumes that the reformation of criminals is not to be expected,
and that therefore all expenditure for that purpose is only
se much money thrown away. Without dwelling on
any ninon" for persevering in this attempt drawn
from considerations of duty, we would treat the
question rather as • matter of fact to be ascertained.
Se beg as gaols in England afford only the means of obi-
tying primers, and that indifferently, we admit at Sass
that reformation is, generally speaking. hopeless. For the
momr of some well known individuals has been due to the
singular combinatiss in them of two or three meat rare and
heavealy qualities; whereas in legislative schemes we must
adept our arriagencenti to the ordinary machinery at our
command. The statistics of our gaols show that not above
6 per cont. of the prisoners have bean led to crime by the
mason of poverty alone. Its origin is to be found in the
habit of 'pending rather than in the difficulty of acquiring.
The presence of temptation Le more powerful to attract to
crime, than the recollection or anticipation of interim; to
dater. Notwithstanding which, our practice has tootle OW
tepee offenders to be confined for short periods in gaol, from
whence they issue more corrupted than on their entrances,
without a shilling to buy food, without a chases of employ-
ment, with their characters gone, with no one to turn to but
their former companions in guilt, with no other alternative
than that of death by starvation or a life of robbery. And
then, bemuse they choose life, we call their penitence hype-
crisy and their reformation an impossibility !
The evidence of Mr. T. Wright before the committee of
the Rouse of Lords on criminal law is very striking. lie
had been in the habit for nine years of visiting prisoners in
Salford Home of Correction at Manchester and obtain
employment for them on discharge' and he states, fruit his
own experience, that in his "humble opinion 14 out of 20
would never return to prison" if some one took them by the
hand, and spoke kindly to them, and found them situations
and supply of food for some ihne. In the last two years,
provided a man comes out of prison to-morrow moraing, if I
should happen to be at home, I take cars that that men
wants nothing. I perhaps may give him 55., and sometimes
I give him *VIM more than that, to keep him out of running
lain temptation again."
Their conduct, in each a prison es all prisons ought to be,
may be seen in the following return of the Pentonville poi-
soners for two ;yeast.
1648. 14.7.
Deaths, pardons medial and special tines
gat to Port Phillip with conditional pardons 34s 178
elm to alllibunk, asbeing only tolerably well con-
dusted l7 4
OM to the Hulks and Milbank, as incorrigible
6
Total number removed from Pentonville
poly 14 men incorrigible out of 586.
Their conduct on board ship may be ascertained from the
reports of the surgeon superintendents of the ships in whisk
they have been sent out. It will be recollected that hereto-
fore the auccistion-of convicts on board ships had been lava-
riably demoralising in the highest degree, and their conduit
outrageous. Now what her been the case with Pentonville
prisoners during the voyage? Up to the end of 184.7, eight
ships hail been sent out with prisoners from Pentonville, and
in every one of these eight instances the conduct of the con-
victs is stated to have been excellent, uniformly well-behaved
and orderly.
Their conduct when landed at Australia is, however,
the great tominbine. At first they were net to Van
Diemon's Loa, which at that time was as bad a pima I
Is swat boss bees found. The failure of the probation
=r
es at he dinar ; and from the falling off in the
for lakeer, there was no opening for fresh arrival'
Onsequently, some of them, almost unavoidably, relapsed
into vicious habits ::the remainder ware sent on to Port
Phillip. From the concluding observations in the report
upon those left in Van Diemen's Land, it appears that, " of '
the inferior clines of Pentonville prisoners only 7i gm cent.
misconducted themselves in such a manner as to expose them
to any penalty whatever : from which it may be temonably
inferred that the offences of the exiles have been less."
(Report of the Commissioners of Pentonville, 1848, p. 31.)
On the 20tn April, 1848, the exact number of men and
boys landed at Port Phillip was as follows:
From Pentonville
„ Millbank
Parkhurst 367

1,368

Of course in so large • number there will have been many
temporarily, and some permanently, ill-conducted : but the
statement concerning them in the dhaplain's Report, taken
from the Report of the Pentonville Commissioners just
quoted, is very eueoorsgin;. Mr. Charles Cooper, who went
slut in the Joseph flornes with 248 men, to Port Phillip,
towards the close et 1847, wrote to the consuissioaers of
Pentonville to the same effect two months after his arrival.
We regret that we have not space for the details. The
Deputy.Aasietant-Ccreeraimary-Oeneral„ writing to Earl
Grey from Port Phillip on the 10th May, 1848, urges the
propriety of piecing, for a time, the new arrivals under
more menden in a country where temptations of every kind
surround them; but adds: " After watching narrowly the
conduct cf the sass already landed, now amounting to up-
wards of 1,600, 1 am confident that exiles may be rendered
a very safe and very useful people " The authorities*
Western Australia have received from time to time, prison.
ere from Pentenville and boys from Parkhurst; and have
very recently asked for en increased number.
We have treated this gustiest of separate confinement at
some length, because, in our judgment, it is the basis of the
whole system. Mr. Hill, the Recorder of Birmingham ;
Mr. Clay, the Chaplain at Preston ; and almost all pansies
who have any practical knowledge on the subject, are as
confident as Kr. Field, that it is an indispensable condition
to all improvement. The following points respecting it
to us tabs established. We have the power Of ill-
= upon felons the severest known sort of imprisonment,
for a period of twelve months, without detriment to mind or
body. Along with this, we can subject them to such morel
inflamices, that, at the end of the twelve months, we are
able to put a great majority of them in intercourse with each
other without mutual iojury ; and that, even in the trying
situation of a convict ship (a much severer test than being
thrown together in regular hard labour on shore) they will
conduct themselves with decency, order, and propriety.
Finally, under these improved conditions, a very large pro-
portion of them are willingly. received in our admits; and,
when there, lead an honest, industrious, and useful life. sup-
porting themselves, and contributing to the prosperity of
their adopted country.
iTo be continued.l