The National Register.
London, England, 1821-09-30 00:00:00

SOCIETY FOR THE IMPROVEMENT OF

PRISON DISCIPLINE.

The Committee of this benevolent, enlightened,
and estimable ass; dation, have just published their
third report. The public are already too well ac-
quainted with its character and objects, to require
from us any account of its origin, or enumeration of
its past philanthropic labours. We cannot, however,
t'eny ourselves the gratification, and our remlers the
tidvantage, of extracting some passages fron. the re-'.
port before us. The first extract, after stating the
attention paid to the new system, removes an objec-
tion often advanced by the enemies of the society. '
and the abhorrers of incarcerated " Turkey carpets,"
that the principles of tose benevolent persons tend '
to diminish the terrors of imprisonment, by render-
ing a prison a place of enjoyment, rather than of
punishment.
s. With sincere pleasure, the Committee report that
daring the last year improvements in the eme.truction and
a.anagrmeut of gaols have beet' piogressise, and that the '
mat:ism at, thrum:hoot the k iliceloni evince all earnest
desite to amend those wi bin Iheirjlia dietiors. In the'
e ons,rnetien of 'dace. of ruchoemrnt, the gnat advan-
tage. of inspection become mote and more justly appre-
ciated. In most of the gaols erecting, or about to be
erected, that impuriant object has eleititi eel considei ation
—provi•ion has also In en made for an enlarged stale of
clas•ification, and suitable AC(1)111111011,0 iOll provided for
the iiitroductimi of vat hills litwitches of labour. In seve-
ral instanees, on the application of the magistracy, the
Committee have, without delay, pre-paled plans. and
surge-steel iniprovenieets in designs about to be adopted t
and they have had the satisfaction to find, that their views
have mp t w ith the cone'', rence of those 110 Ilan e favored
them with their coutionitieations.
" In many in loons, in %%Mel' tin %mitten regulations have
hitherto been in force, Inlets, Selected ft um those observed
iu the most approved eitols, have been adopted, and there
prevails a strong IMAM!: in fivoni of the iitiroduction of
employment. Licht and voluntary employ tin tits are pro.
per for the entries', %%hem the law considers innocent,
until proved to be putty ; bnt a broad and marked dis-
tinction should be observed in the ireatmeet of the con-
victed, on whom. in most, if not in all cases against pro-
p( ray. the personal penalties of hard labour and rigid dis-
cipline ought to be enforced. To idefliet them in the same
&glee on all descsiptioos of offenders wool,' be impolitic
and tiejled ; but both may, without difficulty, be adapted
to the several classes of prisoners, from the temporary
enrrection of the idle app' entire, to a severity secondary
only to capital punishment. The efficacy of such a sass
ten's of hard Menu on the 'Midi and habits of att offender
li;14 not, even yet, been generally flied, or fully appreci-
ated, in this rountry ; but where the experiment has been
feitly made, the benefits have been most striking. Few
who have been subjected to this tpt cies of punishment
regard impi 'swim( lit without terroi ; and the Committee
cannot too all oitely tritium their opinion, that the law
which now infliels it only tin certain classes of offenders,
should be extended to other cases, to which it might be as
justly applicable.
In !lick !Omer Report, the Committee enumerated
several it ades, which were suited to the employment of
prisoners. On this subject great difficulties impede the
isbe aof the warmest fiends fo prism: discipline. In the
selection of a trade, piofi., howes er desirable, mast not
be regarded as essential. The amendment of the prisoner '
is the object to lie aimed at, and if this can be attained,
even at a peruniniy loss, it is wise policy to pnrsint it.—
In support of this opiition, the Committee have nitwit
pleasure in quoting the voidable les i illolly of that experi-
enced magistrate, Sir John Arland, w hie in his evidence
before the gaol committee of the House of COilllllOllS,
observes, ," Prison labour is the groundwork of all Un-
proven:mit, of getietal tranquillity, and hope of retie' Illa-
tion in a pi isonei's habits of lite and disposition of mind.
Give a prisoner art ion by labour awl employment, amid it
ill give him a determined aii cello') towards a better
ay stem of Pie: imlustrions habits ntnst be created, be the
expense what it Ilidy, and the mural • Sects produced will
c pensate for all mum gaited loss that may be sustained."
" 'the spirt with which exertions have been main to
Introdnee labour into pelmets has been highly gratifying ;
lied in the manufacturing counties, whi re there are fewer
tbfficulties in this respect. than iti other districts, the
employment of pi Ise:niers has been can led on at consider-
able piotit "
The following picture of the results of enlightened
seal and well directed charity cannot tin' to interest
the feelings of every man eche desires the reforma-
tion and improvement of the ignorant and criminal
portion of his fellow creatures:—
" In tout pi hams, the to eel ion of the prisoners in read-
ing and writing has bes n attended with excellent • Vets.—
Schools have been fot med at Be diced, Durham, Chelmsford,
- incisester. Hereford, Maidstone, Leicester House or Cur
rection, Shrewsbury, Watwark, Wm enter, &c. Much sta-
inable ;assistance has ore., derived its Iles department bum
the labours of respectable iadisiduals, eSpCcially females,
itelia,4 white the 'auction of the magistriett s and detecta.iu n.
tie chaplain. Tiler are, indeed, many mutters in aluck the
Ititerests of the pt is, tier ate Heat ) connected, which Ilthutrgli
Incapable of being made the *Were, of direct legistation, are
of considerable imp“rtanet —works of usefol..ess, 11l which
Hee magistrate', Chaplain, ur g. seen. r cannot be' exp. cted to
engage ; but the per mei:lure or which u V isitio,; As.oeste.
lion nogla he rentleii d 1.1011.1 lit lietiCial, No tine Will dis-
pute the hem lit of such labour-, who has a ithessed the
admirable exertions of fells. Fey and Der benevolent
&stockist%
is The Lillie s' Cenimittet. visiting Newgute and the
Berough Compter have ettutinued to devote themselves to
ie. hop rat% emeriti of she temate pus ms iu a spirit worthy of
teeir enlightened zeal mat Cite owns clues ity. "f he beneficial
*Teets of their exea totes base heel' esteem' by the progaessive
decrease in the mom.. u of female pti,nuns re-committed,
which I as dimmishud since u.r visits of the Ladies to New.
gate no letal than 44) per f DIICII lahalli cannot he ono
testily nowt t Oiled t but !lane to ho hate oat) w ithessed the
uffieleutiog core and jtidierl,l,s toralgeuleots of the A,.,.
cwt. w lash) the maul, can turna but an ivade guide concep-
ton of the exit eit aed ;asstduilr tit tile exertion+ of those
lattice. Female coevicts einnat-knig for New South Wales
are font-bed tly the Ladle, all w ith the menus of
emplu)tulad, and ul I illslitSChtlll, Oil the