The Sun.
London, England, 1853-08-29 00:00:00

DISCIPLIN.? AND MANAGEMENT OF

CONVICT PRISONS.

The following report on the discipline and man-
agement of the convict prisons,
and disposal of
convicts, with notes on the convict question, con-
struction of prisons, hard labour, &c., &c., by
Lieutenant-Colonel Jebb, C. 8., Surveyor-General
of Prisons, Chairman of Directors, &c., has just
been issued :

To the Right Hon. Viscount Palmerston, G.C.8., &c.
Secretary of State for the Home Department.
45, Parliament-street, June 14, 1853.
My Lord,—l have the honour to submit a report for the
year 1852, on those general subjects connected with the
discipline and disposal of convicts which fall under my
superintendence as chairman of the directors of convict
prisons, together with such information on the construction
of prisons as further experience enables me to afford.
I have noticed the
idifferent subjects which appeared de-
serving of attention n the following order :
Ist. The Accomodation at the Disposal of Government,
and the Distribution of the Convicts in the different Esta-
blishments.
2d. The General
Statistics of the Year, showing the
Number remaining in the Convict Prisons on the 31st De-
cember, 1852—the Number received into the different
prisons, or embarked for the Colonies, or who have died
during the Year.

3d. Convict Discipline—Observations on Separate Con-
finement, its Moral Effects, &c.
4th. Second Probationary Period on Public Works.

CONVICT PRISONS.
With regard to the first point, the accommodation at the
disposal of the Government, and the distribution of the
convicts are detailed in the following return, which gives
these particulars for the 31st March of the present year :

ESTABLISHMENTS AT HOME FOR MALE CONVICTS.
PRISONS FOR SEPARATE CONFINEMENT.
Milbank 1,100
Pentonville 561
Wakefield
Preston 5O Cells in
Leeds 5O county or
Leicester ll2 borough pii-
Northampton 6O sons rented
Bath 24 by the
Reading 4O Government.
Bedford 7O
Perth
1 prisoners.
180 j For Scotch
—2,659
PRISONS AND HULKS FOR PUBLIC WORKS.
Portland 1,070
Portsmouth 1,020
Dartmoor—able-bodied. 650
Hulks at Norwich{ Warrior }
Defence 1.

530
450
- 3,720
625

Parkhurst (for juveniles).
INVALID DEPOTS.

Dartmoor
Stirling Castle Hulk, Portsmouth

625
400
-- 1,026

Total in England and 5c0t1and............ 8,030
Ireland, including males and females... 5,246

ABROAD.

Gibraltar, say
Bermuda, say
Western Australia

.....1,700

-550
-- 2,850

General total

16,126

CONVICT DISCIPLINE.
The question of penal discipline applicable to convicts
tinder sentence of transportation is very complicated, in-
volving, as it does, the home and colonial interests, and
being, also, a great moral and financial question. If, in
practically attempting its solution, any one of the great,
interests concerned be allowed to preponderate, to the ex-
clusion of measures likely to have a favourable influence
on the others, the general result, considered in a national
point of view, cannot fail to be prejudiced.
In looking practically into details, the question is fur-
ther complicated by the very different views which are en-
tertained, not only to the object itself, but on the mea-
sures to be adopted for obtaining it.
Some will advocate simple penal punishment ; others,
reformation, as the chief end and prominent feature of
any system ; some would advocate chains and slavery ;
others, affectionate and assiduous instruction.
Between these extremes, the safest course would appear
to be, to avoid any one idea, and to hold fast by experience.
In this view, it may be desirable to inquire how far the
two main elements of the system, namely, separate con-
finement and associated labour, can claim any preference
over those schemes which may be suggested for the resolu-
tion of this important subject.
I have so fully entered into all the details in former re-
ports, that it would only be necessary very briefly to bring
them under your lordship's notice, were it not that the
question of enforcing strict separation for indefinite and
lengthened periods has again been mooted, and an attempt
been recently made to show that certain modifications,
which have been introduced into the discipline of Penton-
ville prison, have had a prejudicial effect on the health of
the prisoners.

SEPARATE SYSTEM.
When the separate system was first urged upon the at-
tention of Parliament, in the very able reports of the late
lamented inspectors of prisons, Messrs. Crawford and
Russell (1836 and 1837), little or no experience of its effects
had been gained in any country. Mr. Crawford had seen
it in operation in the Eastern Penitentiary in Philadelphia,
and thus expresses his opinion in a report on the prisons in
America, dated 1834 :
" In regard to the moral effects which have hitherto re-
sulted from the Eastern Penitentiary, it is impossible to
adduce any strong evidence. The institution has only been
four years in practical operation.
"In 1830 there were confined in the prison 31
1831
1832
1833
He goes on, however, to add the favourable opinion he
had formed, in the following terms :
" Upon a careful review of every part of the Eastern
Penitentiary, after seeing the whole, and examining a con-
siderable number of the individuals confined in it, I have
no hesitation in declaring my conviction that its discipline
is a safe and efficacious mode of prison management, that
it has no unfavourable effects on the mind or health, and
that with the addition of moral and religious instruction,
in which this peneitentiary is eminently deficient, solitary
imprisonment thus enforced may be rendered powerfully
instrumental, not only in deterring, but also in reclaiming
the offender."

It will be admitted by those who have given attention
to the subject, that these conclusions rested upon very
slender data ; and that so far as regards the assertion, that
discipline, as enforced at that prison, would have no un-
favourable effect on the mind or health, or the inference
that it could be safely enforced in the case of all prisoners
for lengthened periods, experience has, since shown that
the anticipations he entertained have not been altogether
realised.
Solitary confinement had previously been made the sub-
ject of experiment in New York.
In pursuance of a law passed in 1821, 80 convicts were
selected, and, as a matter of experiment, were placed in
solitary cells, which had been prepared for the purpose,
under the direction of the inspectors of the State prison at
Auburn.

In 1823, about 18 months after the commencement of
the experiment, it was found that the most disastrous re-
sults had followed, especially as regarded insanity. With
the exception of a few whose sentences were about to ex-
pire, and others who were sent to labour, all the remain-
der were then pardoned.
The total failure of that experiment led to the establish-
ment in that prison of labour in association, under a rule
of silence, as distinguished from the separate system, which
was afterwards established, in 1834, at Philadelphia.
It is probable that the results of this experiment of soli-
nary confinement on the mind and health of prisoners, led
to the existing limitations, by which it is not lawful to
award or enforce a sentence of solitary confinement for
more than 28 days at a time, or for more than three such
periods during 12 months.

DISTINCTION BETWEEN SEPARATE AND SOLITARY
CONFINEMENT.

The distinction between solitary and separate confine-
ment, and some of the precautions to be adopted in the
construction of prisons, and in the administration of the
discipline, are laid down in the 2 and 3 Vic., cap. 56 ; and
Pentonville prison was erected as a model of construction,
said with a view to try an experiment on separate confine-
ment in this country under the provisions of that act.
Some Observations on this subject appear in my second
the year 1843 to 1848, with a slight exception on
mitt'eTtlicTep
eing of the establishment, the prisoners ad-
the whole ntonnville were most carefully selected from
pline are hijit.,.1.7.,_! convicts ; and the results of the disci-
,,„ tu!Atmanoed in the reports of commissioners. A
results in Tort?
hf convicts, as a cause of some adverse
port for that year, owever, incidentally noticed in a re-
Devon, Chichester% ateria May, 1849, and signed by Earls
Sir B. Brodie, and Dr. F owby, Sir W. Molesworth,
The following are ext ergeson.
" Since the date of ourrater;., •
have no new circumstanceaart, dated May, 1848, we
statements will show that the to iriatt.„°tice• The following
operation, and that its effectsupotCtil'atleues in efficient
menetalPriscoonnerBditiaoren hoifght Ihye
satisfactory."
regard to the health and
With
prisoners, however, they observe—
" We are sorry that, as to the health and maw"l con
di. of the convicts, we have to make a touch r.
tory report than in any of the former years,. leas es.tiafae.di
was established. since the prison
" The daily average number of sick has indeed
smaller than in the year 1847 ; there has not been a Jae le
n
n
case of Asiatic cholera-
g
" But there were six deaths from disease within the
walls of the prison, and five convicts received pardons en
account of their labouring under such disease as rendered
a prolonged term of imprisonment dangerous. Of these
last, four laboured under some form of scrofula, and one
under an organic disease of the brain.
"There was one case of
.death from suicide; and it is
of
worthy of notice that this
.is the first examplesuicide
that has occurred in the p
" The proportion of mortality,ris° including three-fifths of
those who were pardoned
on account of the state of their
health, among the deaths is as 18.75 to 1,000.
" There have been also five cases of insanity.
• •
"It may be difficult to offer a certain explanation of the
great number of cases of death and of insanity, as com-
pared with that of former years. We have, however, Fea-
son to believe that, in the earlier years of this institution,
the convicts sent here were selected from a large number,
and that the selection was made with a more exclusive re-
gard to their physical capacity for undergoing this species
of
_pimishment."
They remark, in conclusion :
" The longer the period s of eparation the more watch-
ful must be the exercise of medical superintendence, to
gua. againsts the failure of mental or physical health,
wwillitirptieeonuleare
oalways. be anticipated as a possible result
and in pror,ortieinTam temperament and dispositions,
Punishment?, o the keenness with which they feel
their
Subsequently to the dateoathis report, the functions of
the board were transferred
t
I had the honour to be appointed new commission, of which
O'Brien and Mr. Voules being associated chairman, Captain
lt thus brought to a
The experiment on prison discipline,iated with me.
full operation from 1843 to 18, was 'which had been in
close, and the accommodation la
pe
rendered available for the general purposes of tPhnescoonnywiaest
Service.
From circumstances we are all sufficiently familiar with
the working of the discipline at l'entouriut, and it,