The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1822-11-07 00:00:00

LAWS RELATING TO PRISONS.

REPORT OF THE SELECT CORVETTES •PPOINTED TO CON-
61Dalt OF THE LAWS RELATING TO •ND To
REPORT THEIR OREERTATIOIIs THEREUPON TO MI
ROUSE.—[Prioled by seder of the House of Commode.)

Your Committee lad, that the state snit eonditios of the
curious places appropriated fur the coofitiesnent of °Reeder;
throughout Enalead and Wake, has been made the su►jecc
of repealed inquiry before Committees of this House; aid
t►at in the last Semis's, s Bill was prepared under the dime.
lion of the Si cretary of State for the Home Department, for
rossolidstirg ■ad amending the Laws relating to Primes;
which was referred to a Select Committee, by whom its pro-
visions were minutely considered.
Under these circumstances, your Committee have sot
thought it accessary to examise evidence; but have felt that
they should best discharge their duty, by proceeding al °see
to the consideration of a measure cake laird to remedy the
evilr, now existing i■ smarty at least of our Prisms; aid the
importance of removing which, is now gear, ally fell sad as. by all who have tamed their *emus attentiss lodic
subject.
With this view, your Committee have had under their eon-
sideratien, the Bill which was prepared lost year; and with.
out entering here iota city detail of the particular pro.
vision of that measure, they wish to state shortly,* few
general principles, spas which they conceive any kglidatire
proceeding epos this subject ought to be fuesded.
It is au less the interest t►en the duly of every game-
meet to take care that the iadividrals who by the laws we
subjected to imprisoamrst, du not, by the effect of that
sentence, become worse members of society, or more bar-
deaed offenders. II is also et mach importance, that orb
suns should be so managed, that coofieemest within t►em
may be an object of terror, and may operate as teal palish.
meat upon those for whom t 1 is so intended; at the NW tine
that the sericite of all unnecessary severity is restrained by
wholesome regulatiows. With • view to these objects, the
means of a judicious classification of prisoners, and of cos-
stoat employment ■ad labour, are esseatially necessary;
and your Committee ■re decidedly of opieioa, that it wilt
be proper to secure, by law, the providseg of sac► meas.,
is every county prison, and in (very other prison in which
by charter or otherwise, primers of various damn are al-
hewed to be confined.

The greatest dificolly visit* your Committee Lod to stand
in the way of the establishment, generally, of a proper sys-
tem of prison discipline, ernes from the exisleoce, is al-
most all parts of the country, of many very small prison.,
belooglngt to places in wheels there is a lotalleirlodietion.—
The Returns printed by order of the Howse, lo 1819 sad
1811, prevail Essay paeticolars relative to sue► prisons;
and your Committee have also obtained some further infor-
mality., by means of some queries, addressed by them to
different magistrates; the result of which they have given
is the Appendix to this Report.
11 appears, that on many eases the feeds applicable to the
maintenance of these local prisons, are of a eaters which
preclaars the possibility 'denting a proper prison, or pro.
Tiding the means Necessary to a good system of discipline;
and the number of primes committed in soy nee year, to
some of these prisons, is so small, as to make it very double
feel whether it wuold be proper to impend the sum necessary
fur these pnrposes, sod whether the exi■tiug evil may not be
remedied by some legislative proceeding of a different nature.
At any rate, it is evideot, that any geueral measure adapted
to the regulation of large pritmos, must be inapplicable to
meth small places of cosiotentent as are here referred to; and
before any specific measure wi:11 respect to these cam be
safely adopted, further information appears to be necessary.
Your Committee therefore recommend, at pretest, the
passing of an Art for the purpose of enforcing a good sys-
tem of prison discipline in ell large prisons : they have bees
engaged in the coasiderstion of a Bill, which they euesider
calculated to effect ibis ulject, which they have instructed
their Chairman to bring in, without delay.
Noy 7, 1822.