The Statesman.
London, England, 1818-08-25 00:00:00

Tfilso-11001.10? itspoint

Paper of Yesterday.)

coMrskrain saps rftisoti.
Your Committee proceeded to visit the Hada of
Correction in the Geld llsithAelds: and heoloslsol-
- the different OEkers of the establishment be.
fora them, subiait to the Hone the molt of their Its.
The Cold Beth4elds House of Correction was
established by Aet 4 Parliament 28 Geo. 111. chap.
?A, and is under the jurisdiction of the itegietrates
of the county of Middlesex. Your Committee re-
fer to the Report sf the Commission of Enquiry,
dated Nov. 1, 1800, which details with great minute-
sties the structure and management of the prison ;
with some few alterations it remains in the smears.
ration; uncut.is point of fact basil% taken,pleco
in this form of the prison.
°encase OW TUE PRISON.--The Governor (Mr.
Adkins) enjoys a salary of 4001. a year, with a house,
coals, and candles; the Surgeon has 2001. a year, for
his attendance here and at Clerkenwell, with a
boom; and the Chaplain for the two jails (that of
Clerkenwell at.d the Cold Rath-fields) 1201. per an-
num. For the whole event of the establishment,
sod its costs, which amounts to 20801. per annum,
your Committee refer to the evidence of Mr. Ad.
kins, annexed to this Report. The Governor was
directed by your Committee to lay before them 111
rules sod orders by which be managed the prison ;
and to their great surprise he informed them, that he
had none; though he had beers keeper for seven
years, be had never received any rules or regulations,
and that none were hung op in the prison. There
'were committed to this prison in the coons of the.
year 1815, 2100 persons of both seises : in 1816,
2875; in 1817, 3667; being an eacess of 792 per-
sons above that of the preceding year. Whets the
Committee visited it, there were confined in this
prison 379 persons; 295 males, 76 females, and
eight children : the averams for the last two or three
months being about 400.
Your Committee found in the Cold Bath- fields noose
of Correction, three !entities committed for want of
sureties to keep the peace ; one of them has been
there for two years, and was confined nominally in
the in the infirmary of the third yard, which is open
to the Moos belonging to that pert of the prison ;
with whom he had constant intercourse; this mass is
Omitted to walk unattended in the garden ; he is
sometitnes•very dangerous ; and as the peculiar mis-
chief of Ms manners is to follow sod insult different
women, to whom be professes an attachment, your
Colllllllltye cannot but conside► the liberty which be
enjoys, of having an easy access to the female side of
the prison, es one likely to be abused. Your Com.
mime are full► of opinion, that this prison is an im-
proper place for lunatics; they are associated with
the felons, and they have neither the medical nor the
moral treatment which is suited to their condition.—
Your Committee recommend the attention of his Me.
jesty's Gosernment being directed to this subject ;
and they beg leave to suggest the propriety of some
Legislative measure, which shall remove from all the
prisons in the kingdom that class of persons.
Dae•Rooms.—Tu each yard or subdivision of the
prison is a dsy.room,several of which are insufficient
for the number of persons who are confined there;
so that it is impossible for them its the winter time to
be warmed by the fire which is kept up, or even to
have access to the room itself. Your Committee
think, that generally speaking, throughout the pri-
son, the day rooms have not sufficient accommoda.
tion for the prisoners during the winter season ; and
as the only employment they have is the sedentary
occupation of picking of oakum, theymest suffer most
severely from cold.
St.zsrvers Cum.—There ars between 280 and
290 cells in the prison, VI of which are double, the
others are all single; the women sleep two in a cell ;
and when the number of male prisoners exceeds the
regular ac:ommodation, barracks of wood are put
op for them, where from 15 to 30 sleep together in
the same room. The Keeper however states, that,
he never puts two men in the same cell ; each cell is
8 feet, 3 inches long, 6 feet 3 inches wide, and 8
feet high ; the cubical contents being 476 feet : they
are all arched, are airy, and well constructed, those
however that open into the courts are necessarily
damp and cold, and to them the prisoners have access
daring the day ; they hayp all shutters which are closed
at night; the allowance of bedding is a straw patio's.,
two blankets, and a rug; the bedstead is made of
wood, in the shape of a trough. A practice formerly
existed, of letting est a better kind of bedding to
persons who could pay for it ; but that is now done.
away with; all persons, whether they 'are confined'
as felons, or for misdemeanors, or committed for
re-examination, or as King's witnesses, are placed
in the same sort•of cell, and have no other bedding,
but that above-mentioned. Your Committee are of
opinion, that it is fitting some distinction should be
made in the treatment of persons committed under
these different circumstances, and that some accom-
modation should be provided, and such regulations
made, as should distinguish their treatment f►om t het
of convicts, or those committed forthemore atrocious.'
offences.
Your Committee concur also in the opinion es.
pressed by his Majesty's Commissioners in 1800:
that it does not follow, because cells' are and ought
to be bare walls in penitentiary houses, they must
remain in that state in prisons designed for a mil*
application of punishment by imprisoment ; and they
see no reason why cells might not, for ibe lesser cri-1
minal description of convicts, be Atted up with so.
perior circumstances of accommodation and comfort ;
nor does there appear any reasonable objection to
the addition of some article of furnitere whieh would
retie,* the mind from the gloom •bids the entire