The Sun.
London, England, 1861-04-15 00:00:00

CONVICT DISCIPLINE IN .ENULAND,

TO THE EDITOR OF THE TIMES.

Sir,—My attention has been called by an adver-
vertisement in your columns to an article in the
Cornhill Magazine of April 1, headed "The Irish
Convict System ; why it has succeeded."
As the question is of some public importance,
I would beg the favour of your allowing me space
for a few necessary explanations.
The writer commences by saying that "in the
session before last a return was obtained by the
House of Lords, which shows that 'of the convicts
out on ticket-of-leave in England nine-tenths
relapsed into crime." Not content with this, be
goes on to say, " while, of course, we cannot assume
the merely unaccused tenth to be virtuous and
pure." He then observes, by way of contrast, "In
Ireland, even including the criminals released
under the old law, the men re-committed are not
one-fifth of the whole number released." • Further
on he states, " I say nothing of England, where,
before the wholesale retrograde movements at Port-
land and Chatham, the relapses have stood at nearly
90 per cent., because, I repeat, I am not comparing
the two systems. Only, flesh and blood cannot
resist a glance at contrasts so striking."
That the contrasts will be found very striking
indeed whenever the subject is thoroughly investi-
gated I am prepared at any moment to maintain,
but that the writer has no ground for his gratui tons
assumption of failure or retrograde movements in
this country will appear by a very brief considera-
tion of the data on which he relies.
The return made out in the Home-office in the
usual official form was as follows :

" Return to an Address of the House of Lords, dated the
11th of April, 1859, for a Return of the Number of Con
victs to whom Tickets of Leave have beat granted during
the years 1857 and 1858 ; specifying the Number given
each Year; also the Number who during that period
have been remanded to Prison in consequence of the
Commission of any subsequent Offence.
3 Number of convicts released on orders of license :
From the Ist of January to the 31st of
December, 1857
From the Ist of January to the 31st of
December, 1858

Total 1 OSI
3 Number of license-holders re-committed to prison for

fresh offences :
From the Ist of January to the 31st of
December, 1857

From the Ist of January to the 31st of
December, 1858 ‘ .. ' 330

Total
3 Horne-office, April 14, 1859. " 11. WADDINGTON."

Before the 'writer committed himself to drawing
any conclusion from these figures he should have
inquired whether the 1,084 convicts referred to were
the whole number out on license at the end of 1858,
because the 966 license-holders reported for mis-
conduct or re-committed to prison for different
offences were taken out of the whole number at large,
and not out of the comparatively few who were
released in the two years included in the return.
Under these circumstances, I think I am entitled
to state that the effect of this return to the Helm
of Lords has been most grossly, and, I fear, wil-
fully misrepresented. Now, what are the real facts ?
From October, 1853, when the first licenses were
issued, to the 31st of December, 1858, there were
released on license no less than 8,449 male and fe-
male convicts, and it is out of this number that
966 were recommitted in the two years in question.
In the number 966 under the head " re•committed
for fresh offences" are included all who were ac-
quitted, all who had their licenses revoked for
trifling offences, and those who were subsequently
convicted of more serious crimes and received fresh
sentences of penal servitude.
Excluding those who were acquitted and the
females, who form but a small proportion, the actual
nnmber of males received back into the convict pri-
sons with licenses revoked or under fresh convic-
tions, out of the 1,084 in the return, were only 117.
Pursuing the inquiry in regard to male prisoners,
the records in my office give the following results,
extending from October, 1853, when the first licenses
were issued, to the 31st of March, 1861, a period of
seven years and a half.

Daring this period 9,180 licenses were issued to
male•prisonere, of which 834 have been revoked and
1,038 license holders have been returned in convict
prisons under fresh convictions. This gives 9 per
cent. of revocations, and 11.3 per cent. of fresh
convictions.

I refrain from now entering into any controversy
or any defence of the system of discipline which
with so much care has been established in England
and carried out with such marked success, but I do
earnestly protest against the means resorted to for
crying it down. Ido also protest against the deep
injustice that is done to the whole of the officers
who have for many years devoted their best ener-
gies to carrying out the views of the Government
in regard to the proper mode of administering the
law in connexion with the highest class of our
secondary punishment.
I am, Sir, your most obedient servant,
J. JEBB.