Star.
London, England, 1827-08-17 00:00:00

m;Shr be trtlttred thrraelletit Pneland; at all rventif that theirs
rapid inroads might be ted The S;dect Are.triee eirreisa its;
power vested in them with sound di.cierion ; cliaratter is almost in
variably an ingredient in their decisions. The most fertile •oures-
of crime Is the preservation of game, the 'hover orders hi eitninwto
with the highest have a meth.' love of the sport, even atiniulated,
perhaps, by the risks attendant on it, gratification ; the tameness or
the pheasants. which were formerly alma-t unknown in this neigh
bourhood, and which are now seen constantly in the fields close to
the road. is a great temptation to the lower orders to take them.—
" Persona going armed at night on a marauding excursion seldom
confine their depredations to the taking of game, and many cases of
petty thefts, such as robbing of hen-roosts and outhouse', have been
brought before me, which I have been able clearly to trace to per-
sons going out at night with the intention of poaching. On the
whole, I should think poaching the cause; rather that the conse.
quence of criminal habits." When an unemployed labourer applies
to the palish for relief, he is usually sent to break stoney upon the
turnpike-road, which work is paid by the square yard of stone
broken ; he is fed and clothed at the expense of the parish, his
earnings are carried to the account of the parish ; if he does
not break the ge quantity of stones, the kteper of the
workhouse brings the pauper before a Magistrate, who has it in his
power to send him to the House of Correction.
In a Gaol and I louse of Correction at Carlisle, the treadmill
has been at work abuse eighteen moo tbs. Sir James Graham
cannot perceive that the work appears very irksome to the pri.
soars. The severity of the treadmill as Carlisle Is about the
average. severity. The severity of this punishment very much
depends, upon the height of the steps, and the firqueocy of the
rotation of the wheel 'Meer varj in almost every gaol. " I have
altvays been of opinion, that by legislative interposition the degree
of labour ought to be regulated, and made the sante in every gaol
and, house of correttion throughout England; because it does appear
to me absurd, that a here the crime is the same, and the punishment
Is intended also to be the ume, from the accidental circtimstance
of the hard labour lh one gaol being more severe than in.annther, the
punishment ordained as uniform !should vary to any.degree.7
Is the allowance increased fur the prisoners who are put upon
the treadmill?—The only difference is that they are allowed beet,
which 'is denied to other prisoners; and as I have mentioned the
di.P.arity of punishment arising from the circumstanee of the tread-
mill in one gaol being more severe than in another., I perhaps may
be,adowed to empress an opishon, that a difference in the diet, which
ill one gaol is much more spare than in another, partakes of the
same inconvenience I have allinied to withrespect to the difference'
of bard labour, not contemplst. d by fbe law.
Have you made any observation generally on the effect of prison
discipline is the gaol of Carhde?-1 have, and the result of that
observation, coupled with inquiries from persons who have had
*teat repellence, such as .hr. Orridge, the gaoler at Bury, and his
eon, who is the gaoler at Carlisle, led me to think that in very kw
eases is a gaol ever a place of reform ; we have reason to know
that the best conducted prisoners are those who are anzious to ob-
tain a mitigation of their se invoice, by their good conduct within
the wall of the prison; and in many cases a ration of their sen-
tence has bet n remitted in consequence of such good conduct, and,
within a very short period thole very individuals have comnsittradi
fresh crimes of a deeper dye.
So that you are of opinion that, generally speaking, the good etan.,
duct of prisoner; is nut to be attributed to any real reformation in
their character ? Most decidedly.
With respect to the leformai ion of offenders in prison, you stated
that your views upon that subject were much less sanguine than
they had been; do you attribute their non-reformation to their
early character, or to their always associating in poison with crinti.
tads 7-1 must a.ciihe the cause ut their nut being reformed to the
deep taiit e.f their character before they are sent to prison; because
in the gaol ut Carlisle, classification iscarried even further than the
late Primo; Act directs; the prisoners are rarely left alone, they are
corttantly cud. r the eye of the G./V..11111f and the watchmen, who
attend them when on the treadmill; there they are not allowed
even to speak to each other; a large portion of the twenty-four
. hours is spent by each prisoner alone in his own cell, and the con-
tamination arising from intetcourse is almost entirely prevented;
etm-equeutly. I can on!), arrive at the conclusion, that the non.
reforniation of prisoners is owing to a taiut of the character before
they are sent to prison.
• Do you thhik that prison discipline can ever effect much more
than has been effected in the best regulated prisons in this country ?
I 'lznik it impossible to carry wholesome discipline further than
it is now carried to the best regulated gaol. iu England, with the
exception, t oweeer, of the two suggestions I have made, relative to
equalix ng the punishment o the it ead• mill, and assimilating the diet
in every gaol throughout J.:sashimi.
Your Committee earnestly hope that the !louse will early in the
echoing Session direct the inquiries on this subject to betminmed.

'i lIE EVENING SPAR.