The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1843-05-12 00:00:00

PRISON DISCIPLINE

Sir James Graham has forwarded copies of a code of prison
rules to Chairmen of Quarter Sessions, and to the Mayors of
Boroughs in which there are prisons. A circular from Sir
James accompanies these copies, from which document we
extract, as follows, the principle points :
I am convinced that it is highly desirable that immediate
measures should be taken to introduce consistency and the
utmost practicable uniformity into the regulations of the dif-
ferent prisons. 'Where the crime is the same, the punish-
ment, inflicted under the operation of the same law ought not
to vary either in its nature or degree. * * *
I desire to call the special attention of the magistracy to
those rules which relate to the diet of prisoners. * * *
It is by no means intended that the precise articles of food
specified in the dietaries should he strictly adhered to in the
table which you may adopt; other kinds of food, containing
an equivalent amount of nutriment, may. with advantage, be
substituted, when those articles which have been named are
either difficult to be obtained in your neighbourhood, or are
considered not suited to the customs and habits of the pri-
soners ; * * * while due care should be exercised to
prevent any approach to luxurious living in a prison, the diet
ought on no account to be made an instrument of punish-
ment. * * * I have carefully revised the dietaries
now in use, and I have come to the conclusion--
1. That animal food should in all cases form part of the
diet of prisoners employed at hard labour. 2. That a consi-
derable portion of the food of every prisoner should be solid ;
and, 3. That there should be variety in the kinds of food
forming the diet, and that f... occasional 1, .ngoia ere noeoJeary.
't he dietaries which I now offer for your adoption are
framed on these principles, and are upheld by medical
science, and by the recommendation of persons on whose
authority and knowledge reliance may be placed, but they
have been framed without reference to the local situation of
particular prisons, or to any peculiar circumstances which
may render an increase necessary ; they are, therefore, pro-
posed by me as the minimum amount which can safely be
afforded to prisoners without the risk of inflicting a punish-
ment not contemplated by the law, and which it is unjust and
cruel to inflict: namely, loss of health and strength through
the inadequacy of the food supplied. * * * * *
. .

I consider it highly desirable, that in all cases every win-
dow of a prison and of each cell should be glazed. The ex-
posure of the prisoners during inclement seasons to the open
air is, and must be, attended with serious results to the
health ; and it is impossible that, with unglazed windows, the
uniformity of temperature can be maintained, which is one
of the surest safeguards against those diseases by which the
inmates of a prison are most liable to be attacked, and which
to persons in their situation are of a most dangerous charac-
ter. Medical experience has shown that extremes of heat
and of cold, and defective circulation and supply of pure air,
are productive of the most prejudicial effects upon the health
of prisoners ; and that the temperature of a prison ought to
range from about 54 deg. to 60 deg. Fahrenheit. I strongly
recommend, therefore, to the magistrates, that they should
take into their immediate consideration both the ventilation
and lighting of the prisons under their control, with the view
of introducing such improvements as may be practicable un-
der the peculiar circumstances of each prison ; the advice
' and assistance of Major Jebb, a Government officer, will be
in all cases available, free of expense, to aid them in effecting
these improvements. My attention has been called to the
inadequate nature of the arrangements which are generally in
force for the purpose of providing prisoners, both adult and
juvenile, with religious and moral instruction; and I am of
opinion that in every prison, however small, a person really
qualified should be engaged to give elementary instruction to
each prisoner for a portion of every day; and that in the
larger prisons one schoolmaster and one schoolmistress
should be appointed, and more than one where a greater
number may be requisite. 1 think it highly desirable that
every prison should be furnished with a certain number of
books of various kinds, calculated to improve the moral and
religious feelings of the prisoners; and that the books should
he selected by the visiting magistrates with the advice of the
chaplain. lam convinced that, for the due discharge of his
important duties, a room within the walls of the prison should
in all cases be appropriated to the use of the chaplain. As
regards the subordinate officers of a prison, the visiting jus-
tices are more peculiarly responsible for the discipline, order,
and state of the prison under their superintendance ; their
constant attendance, at the prison tives them an intimate