Star.
London, England, 1819-04-14 00:00:00

~1,-.4pere—,-.0-r., • -

STA'L'E OF THE 711ENCH PRISONS.

DJ: 011.T.ANT REPORT MdthE TO TITP BIND.
Tile: STATE OF TgE PIirSONA TN FRANCE,.
N. LE CAZES, M:NISTER OF THE INTERIOR*

:II Sire—The state of the Prisons of the Kingdom
latiltltt,asl Elicited particular sirainie'r your Ma-
jesty!s paternal care. So early as 1814, you ordered
tlalt election ()f a P, won d'Essai, -destined, to present
model of impi ovements of which Prisna discipline
W 25 in general susceptible. This Establishment hat'
chiefly .14 ,its object, to skew by what means Author
rit,;.• in !punishing crime for the support of public
order, can convert cha tisement to the meral refor-
mation of the guilty.' and restore to society a useful
citizen, after Eaving preserved it from a dangeron!
enemy: The success which had attended similar cr-
periments amottg other nations, gave room to hope
that:ttle aitemilt would not be useless; and that after
having ascertained its salutary efllxt, it would be
easy to deduce from •it a fine system of administra-
tion'ani Mario, disCipline, applicable to all the PH-
smite( Franco.. ' * •

" The sad events which occurred at the Moment
whet; the Ordinance of the 9th September was about
to.bo executed prevented the beneficent ideas of your,
Atiijelty from being rellized. Since that time, in
the midst of the great iloPre,ts w'nicir occul,ied it,
the 3dipinistration' has not been able to effectihthe
state and regime a. the Prisons all the cliaoges of,
which it -acknowledged use nec?.,sity : nevertheless.
itieflhrts and ifs zeOhliave not been fruitless. The
Ceottal*lfiise of DeCention,•destined to receive con-
victs coniemaed to one or more- years' imprisonment,
had particularly attracted its vigilance. New build-
ing; have .een undertaken: some are finished, and
have been conveniently appropriated to their object.
In ail the Central House, a good system of labour is
introduced; and its adiarifagei already-appear, both'
in the physical well-being sand moral reform of the
prisoneik The House of Fontevratilt. is the only one
in"Whichf.the induliciencY of the fitlisited accommo-
dation has not at:loin:A of the estibliihment of all the
workshops which the ;:--ipulation would require. The
diet, the bed, and wearing clothes of the prisoners I
have received likewise ameliorations. in tine, care
has been taken to give them protection from the as*,
dity and arbitrary conduct of their keepers. But
these improvements have hitherto been only partial.
and isolated. It was impossible to extend them to
all the Prisoos of the Kingdom : they could not have:
that result which may be expected from a connected
•system, uniformly adopted, and perseveringly pur-
sued. This, however, must indispensably be accom-
plished. It ;vowel not he sufficient' to execute with
eclat, in some conspicuous places; works proper to
attract poblic attention. Every where the evil exists.
-Avemetly ina,t be applied or attempted t•and in the;
number of those sad necessities, the Most Obscure art
opt.detibtless the least urgent.
roi *het the laws inflict a ponishment;.and espe-
cially that •of imprisonment, vengeance is not their
lett, On ,one hand, tthey warn the Citizens from
tOolimallitiittipta Of crinam;-on•the other, they deprive'
elsat4riiniiial Of 114 power of injuring that society
whiehle has already disturbed. And asthelciegten
of the criminal's perversity; and consequently the ex-
tent of the fears which his being at Jattge.must
spire; cannot be measured but by the gravity of the
etlissstot .the offence.which he hu etimmitterl. the
law graduates iccoulingly the duration •of .his. ins-.
pritoernenty presuming that such or such *lapse of
tbnCongtir.tosnffice forbit being restered tOlociety,
without expcsing it to new dangers: But that'the
law may not be deceived in its foresight, it is fleets--
slay tbatihe punishment produce in:die-convict Who
undergoes It the effect Which it expects. - Theneces-
wofaccomplishingthis condition, is the principle
hich ought to vegetate-the-system of comiett pro-.
pee to btopurtued tourands 1)66111104 during the term
of theitiaaprisonthent. • Two tssehtiot ccasequences
ILO* from it,- and pa .alone conduct' to the object
which the law
_proposes. The sfirst is, that no punish-
ment•ought to be inflicted on 'the prisoner which te-
sted, that which the law intended-to make him un-
dergo, by depriving him of his liberty. The second
-iarthertite duty as well as the interests of society re-
-slherozbat no carte-be spared for the moral refermOs
sithrttshe criminal who is once again to return to its
bostem Selene is ignorant, that of all the causes
which can iseiteiee the mind and corrupt the charac-
ter of Melt, the mbtt powerfhl is the sense of injus.-
tice. • If then the prisoner is exposed in his confine-
meht to sufferings which the law has not ordained,
nor even foreseen, there is reason to believe, that, se
far front amknowledging the equity of the sentence
which he has incurred, he will contract new hatred
against society and authority, which uselessly tor-
ment him, or at least cease to care for him. It is
,known, besides, that physical pain, particularly when
joined With removal from society, destroys in a man
All ener, every feeling of moral dignity, and
photos, into a sort of stupid benottedness, from
whi • even the hope of liberty cannot recover him.
This is doubtless not the intention of the law in or-
daining the detention of the convict, Whom it does.
not remove front society for ever ; it ought therefore.
tri fellow him into the prima whither it-has sent
Ihis not xecessary that hFs physical existence should
there be better titan in a state of free In ; tom it
ought at least not to be rendered phylkaii.piihful.
Society owes him sufficient food; a healtlirlocliging,
.clP.thes.capahle of protecting him against the pale-
ritency of the seasous, and the necessary medical aid
is Sicknessit owes him, above all, things, a visitant.
.
_protection against any vexations or abusive treatnannto
of _which. he way beetorle the object; for the best
his - ad with a feeling of the
make outlier .4
phrase, in the

attentive justice.l
towards pnsoners,'
t probably be suf- 1
- and dispositions 'I
reckons, and which
the expiry of
' themselves.,
this charge
be accoro-1
be subjected
the vicious
fission of the
constant labour,
• itame,diately,

Means of penetziting his mind with a fee
justice of his
.sentorsce, is to make him
. under, the empire, ski, if I.mar.use the pl
!ery,presence of thb most.exaet and atten
.*" put this justi attchilkity toward
etylat..pprfect it tie,. 411 not proba
ei4i to.pro4acc nit. it diameter and
sentiment ald• law reckons,
FpE,1414. eratten after th
ci; eitn ;, Olt ~society and
, I •
drisVC t car tat pointed towards
ii:Apitte. opt.that.it will
prigke, cesiary t‘hfituie priSol3er b
toV Oita fife as .may extinguish
fiXtipctit4l. ' fcc(bina
the commis
crtke rot' .2, stiffit#4.tbat a cortzt:
of tlae fruits iu
, . .