The Sun.
London, England, 1840-09-29 00:00:00

MODEL, OR SEPARATE ti VSTEM

PRISON.

This new prison, as its name imports, is intended as a
model by which the houses of correction or penitentia-
ries in England are in future to be erected. The Go-
vernment have obtained a grant for its erection, and it '
will be completed in three years. The works com-
menced last April. It is not, as is generally reported,
intended for juvenile offenders only, but for all classes
of convicts. With the exception of some of its details,
it will be constructed upon the same principle as the
Eastern Penitentiary, in the State of Pennsylvania,
near the city of Philadelphia, but not upon so large a
scale. The site of ground selected for the building is
situated on the eminence adjoining the Chalk-road,
which leads from Pentonville to Holloway, and is
adjacent to the Caledonian Asylum. It will consist
of four principal erections or wings, which will stand
in angular directions to each other, and radiate to
a point in the centre. One of these wings is so far
completed as to be ready to be roofed in. The
foundations of the others are all laid, and the
external walls are finished. The prison, when com-
pleted, will accommodate .500 persons. The wings
will be 189 feet long and 49 feet wide, and three stories
high. Each of these stories will contain 126 cells—
that is, 63 on each side of the wing, which is divided by
a corridor 16 feet wide, running from one end of the
building to the other. As these corridors will all meet
in one point, a full view may be obtained of the whole
of the edifice, by placing oneself in the centre. The
upper stories are approached by staircases from the cor-
ridor, and communication obtained from one cell to the
other by galleries. The cells themselves are 13 feet
long, 7 wide, and 12 high. They are lit by a small
window near the top. Each cell will be fitted up with
a small bed, a table, and a water-closet. They will be
warmed by hot-air flues, which will carry off the efflu-
via to a large chimney in the centre of the wing. In
these cells the prisoners will be constantly confined,
excepting at the time of exercising. They will be sup-
plied with work, but the arrangements are such as to pre-
vent the prisoners seeing each other, or speaking to each
other during the whole time of their confinement.
The pipes of the water-closets are furnished with valves
for the purpose of preventing the convicts talking to
each other by means of this communication. In the
original construction of the Eastern Penitentiary this
precaution was not taken. For the purpose of cleanli-
ness and drinking, each prisoner will be allowed e cu-
bic foot of water, or six gallons daily. Besides the cells
above-mentioned, there ore a number of under-r=ound
cells, intended for the confinement of refractory pri-
soners. There are five plots of ground set apart for ex-
ercising yards. This arrangement is very curious, and
it is belie% ed quite original. It should be borne in
mind that the great feature of the system about to be
carried into effect is that of absolute separation. The
prisoners must at no time, whether at prayers or at
exercise in the open air, see each other, must not
converse with each other—in fact, must not possess
the means of doing either one or the other. To
effect this object the convicts, when taken from
their cells to the exercising yards, will be hooded
or masked. When in the yards the hoods will be re-
moved, and, though upwards of 100 persons may thus be
taking exercise at one and the same time, and within
a few yards of each other, they will he as effectually
separated, as regards seeing and hearing, as though
they were many miles apart. This is accomplished by
the following means :—Circular plots of ground are
surrounded by high walls ; from the interior of these
outer walls, twenty-seven other walls are erected at
about nine feet distance from each other in the first
instance. These walls all radiate to a point in the
centre of the circle, where they diminish from about
nine feet to about three feet of each other. We have
thus, it will be seen, twenty-six exercising yards, into
each of which only one person is admitted at a time
In the centre is stationed the keeper, who, from his
situation, has the ready means of constantly watching
twenty-six prisoners almost simultaneously, and entirely
unobserved by tin In. A portion of these yards is
covered in, in order to shelter the convicts in wet wea-
ther. When the time allowed for exercise has elapsed,
the hoods or masks will be again placed on the faces of
the prisoners, and they will be conducted back to their
cells. In addition to the four wings described above,
there will be a chapel, a house on each side of the gate
or prison-door, and fronting the Chalk-road, for the go-
vernor and chaplain, and six other houses or lodges for
the use of the subordinate officers and their families.
The walls enclose an area of six acres and three quar-
ters. The walls meet at angles. The lodges for the
keepers are situated in these angles, and have somewhat
of a tower-like appearance, being pierced with numerous
loophole windows, apparently for the purpose of
firing from, in case the prison should be attacked.
Four of these lodges have six rooms each, and are in•
tended for the accommodation of eight officers and
their families. The other two arc for the use of
the unmarried officers, who will have one room
each and a closet. The unmarried men employed
in the prison will take their meals in the mess-
room. The chapel will not contain at one time
more than half the prisoners namely, 250. It
will be so constructed in the interior as to prevent the
convicts from seeinc, each other, but they will all be
' enabled to see the clergyman. In going to and from the
chapel the prisoners will be all masked and hooded. On
the first arrival at the prison they will also be masked
till they are conducted to their cells. These cells, like
the yards, are so constructed as to enable the officers to
see the prisoners unobserved by the convicts themselves.
The prison wi;l be supplied with water from an Arte-
tiin well, which has been already bored to the depth of
370 feet, the shaft being 170 feet deep, and the bore
200 feet ; the water rises in the shaft to the height of
12 feet. It has not yet been ascertained, however,
whether this well will yield a sufficient quantity of water
to supply the prison. Too works are under the superin
tendence of Captain Jebb, of the Royal Engineers, who
furnished the design. Messrs. Crawford and Russell
are the inspectors. As the strictest eco-nomy is ob-
served, architectural beauty has not been much regarded.
The Woods and Forests have no control over the Mo
del Prison beyond passing the accounts, which are paid
at the Treasury.