The Sun.
London, England, 1858-10-14 00:00:00

deduce the following points :—The exposure of
young children to corrupting influences • the great
expensiveness of even the most youthful crime, as
evidenced both in the amount of undetected plunder,
and the cost of repeated prosecutions and convic-
tions ; and, most important of all, the hopefulness
of the reformatory process, which I should have felt
myself less emboldened by this single instance to
lay stress upon, if I had not the authority of the
superintendent for stating that the large majority
of cases already completed, of which he has been
cognisant, have been equally satisfactory. lam
aware that many of the farmers in my neighbour-
hood are not only willing to avail themselves of the
labour of the boys, while they are still inmates
of their school, but are ever anxious to take them
into permanent service upon their discharge. There
have been some very pleasing instances of boys
making restitution after their discharge to per-
sons whom they had previously. robbed. The
chaplain of the gaol at Hull writes—" The effect
of the reformatory movement on the juvenile
criminals of Hull has, I think, been of the most
beneficial character; some weeks ago we had
not a single boy in gaol." I believe that similar
satisfactory testimony can be given from other dis-
tricts, but I have deemed it best to confine myself
to my own. There are several points connected with
reformatory tactics which must be considered, so to
term it, as still afloat, and upon which I am willing
to hope that our present gathering may be destined
to shed light. A prominent one is the amount of
reformatory accommodation which ought to be sup-
plied. This, however, for its adequate solution,
hinges upon another, probably the most important
and the most difficult of all that await decision—
What ought to be the condition of admission ?
Ought the once convicted, ought the twice convicted,
ought, in any case, the wholly unconvicted to be
admissible ? It certainly appears to me that, with a
a view both to the due protection of the money,
partly at least received from the State, and to the
inadequacy of the accommodation as yet provided
for the criminal class, it would not be right to allow
any admission except of an actual convict. Then,
with respect to the once convicted, though I can
conceive cases where it might be so desirable to
remove a child from evil influences and companion-
ships, as to overcome all other scruples, yet, as it is,
the duty which the reformatory owes to the state
to operate, preferentially, upon the most har-
dened and abandoned classes, and as there also
may be many cases, where a boy or, girl may
have lapsed or been. led into the . commission of
some isolated fault or act of lawlessness without
any such perverSity of temper or will as to
make them fit associates of the thoroughly
depraved,, but yet] which some short, sharp
punishment would probably be the best method of
cure ; it seems to me that, at all events, till there is
more than sufficient room for the aggravated cases,
it would be advisable to make a plurality of con-
victions the general condition of admission. On
this head the chaplain of the gaol at Hull has re-
marked, in a letter addressed to our superintendent,
"It has always appeared to me unreasonable, as
well as unnecessary, to send a boy to a reformatory
for a first offence, except in extreme cases, where
such cunning or depravity is exhibited, is mani-
fested, as indicates a most depraved disposition."
In our case we manifestly want increased accom-
modation in any view of the case. It appears from
some returns we have obtained from East Riding
House of Correction at Beverley, and from the Hull
Borough Gaol, that of boys convicted during the
last three years under 16 years of age, there are—
Convicted once
Twice, not included above
More than twice , 42

Of these 50 have been sent to reformatory schools.
The total number convicted more than once is just
100 ; so that, supposing none to have been sent to
reformatories who had not been twice convicted, 50
would still remain at large in the riding. In like
manner Mr. Shepherd, the Governor of the Wake-
field prison, has recently said that he knew of more
than a hundred West Riding cases for which he
could not find room in a reformatory. I believe
that different opinions are entertained respecting
the best sources of supply for the maintenance of
the schools. In some cases local rates have been
already resorted to. It is obvious that such a
resource cannot be called in without some sacrifice
of independence on the part of managers and
superintendents. Probably different methods may
be suitable to different places ; time and experience
will develop their own exigencies, and I am not
aware that they are yet ripe enough for any further
appeal to legislative provisions. I feel that no
doubt can be entertained either of the pro-
priety or expediency of the aid of the Govern-
ment being given to meet voluntary efforts
and subscriptions. Whether the withdrawal
of the grants hitherto made by the Committee
of Privy Council is justified on the ground of the
anomaly of two separate streams of supply pro-
ceeding from the State I will not take upon my-
self to decide ; but I think that in any case there
has been reason to regret the abruptness of the de-
termination. It behoves the managers and friends
of the schools alt the more to strain every nerve to
make them as independent as they can of all ex-
trinsic aid beyond the still remaining grant from
the Home Department. I cordially embrace con-
clusions at which I believe the collective thought
and wisdom which have been exercised on this sub-
ject had already arrived, that the relations of
the State to the reform t e3tablished shouil
embrace inspection, but exclude interference, ex-
cept, of course, in case of patent and obvious abuse ;
and that it would be inexpedient to lay down any
rigid or undeviating rule of management, such, for
instance, as any exact scheme of rewards and
punishments, to what extent corporal punishment
should be applied, and the like. The great essen-
tial condition is to procure the right men for super-
intendents or masters; the interior details will best
be confided to their discretion, acting upon the ma-
terials with which they are called upon to deal.
It appears to me most desirable that the powers of
levying contributions from the parents of children
placed in reformatories should- be enforced as ex-
tensively as possible. A most important and preg-
nant subject for consideration is the after disposal
of the pupils. Their ever best security against
relapsedangerous associations
wculdpt evil courses
bablybefou and
found
dic
emigration. Could the
State be properly called upon to contribute to this
end, at all events, in aid of private effort ? Boys
may in many cases be fitted to go out as emigrants
before it would be safe to discharge them at home,
within reach of old haunts and. comrades, so that
a more than corresponding saving in the State
contribution to their maintenance would be thus
effected. Some of the inmates will unhappily
continue unfitted either for emigration abroad or
for employment at home. I think it well worthy
of reflection whether, for the thoroughly incor•
rgunmanageable,exclusively penal reforma-
tory.. it might not be de-
sirableiibn and
ito h avea more
I Ai informed that Mr. Sydney Turner has
recommended the employment of the prison at
Parkhurst for this purpose. Consideration must, of
course, be given to the lawful duration of sentences ;
but it clearly would be conducive to the general
welfare that the periods
,of detention should be suf-
ficiently long to admit of the full process of refor-
mation, and that as few as iossible should be let
loose anew on society till it has been thoroughly
accomplished. I may sum up what I have thus
imperfectly said on both branches of my subject by
stating that the same principle of treatment appears
to me to apply alike both to adults and juvenile re-
formation, as might have been expected when
human nature supplies the material to be worked
upon in either case, with whatever modification of
degree and circumstance. The almost indispensable
condition of success seems to be that the criminals,
of whatever age or description, should be.brought
together in such numbers, and under such arrange-
ments, as admits of their being, to use a term which
I believe, is now understood, individualised ; of
their being each, in their own person, the subject
upon whom influence, argument, advice, sympathy,
are brought to bear; that before they are restored
to a world which would naturally look upon them
with distrust and suspicion, they should have had
the opportunity of submitting to some trustworthy
test their altered resolutions and dispositions, and
that throughout this whole recuperative process
the machinery upon which, under the blessings
from above, .we can mainly rely, is one human
heart acting upon another human heart. (Loud
and protracted cheering.)

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