The Portland gazette. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1818-1824, 1823-01-21
GAZETTE,
PORTLAND, TUESDAY. JANUARY q, 1928.

| The following is an abstract Of the Report OF
the committee appointed TO collect information
and investigate the subject OF the punishment Of
| Convicts.
| The committee in the first place assume this
broad position shat no mode or degree Ofpunish-
meut which has been sanctioned s. practised eth
! er in ancient or in modern times whether by the
more barbarous or the most enlightened govern
ments, hare (has) hitherto been efectuai TO pre-
vent the commission Of crimes" Having thus 4
discngaped themselves from all former systems,
given the general reasons for so doing, such as
on the one hand that those which provide cruel
| and vindictive punishments, have a tendency to
harden offenders, while they produce in the com
munity disposition to stand be tween the gull
tv and the penalty Of the Law and increase the
hope Of escape and afford encouragement to
crime And on the other hand reprobating those
that are mild which is the case in most of the
penitentiaries OF this country, not only not
having in them sufficient Of the terrible, to evil
deers bui in fact as being "nurseries of guilt, and
schools for criminal Instruction having dispos
ed of these two opposite systems of severity and
mildness the one taking away the life of the con-
vict, the other endeavouring to reclaim him, the
committee introduce their own theory. This is
that " from the enquiry they have been able to
make and from their own reasoning upon the
principles Of human nature and the motives to
human action. they have been led to the conclu-
sion that no mode or degree of punishment,
which ever has been or ever can be adUpled is
IN its nature 50 well adapted to the purposes Of
preventing crime and refornang criminals, as
close confinement in a silent, solitary cell, in
which cut of from all hope of relief during the
term for which he shall be sentenced, the con
yict shall be furnished with hammock, in which
he may sleep, block on which he may sit and
with such coarse though wholesome food, as may
be best suited to person designed for grief and
pentence, and shall be favourod with so much
| light from the armament as may enable him to
read the New Testament, which shall be given
HIM as his sole companion and guide to a better
| life" And they of opinion that labour as a
punishment for crime can never be required with
| any considerable advantage. Their plan is
sessste cha ht ahs eRf hsehded from
Intercourse with any mortal" for crimes of mag
nitude short of capital, which latter are left as
before to the last punishment of the laW.--The
committee further recommend some very ma
terial alterations and amendments" in our Grim
inal laws" relating to the " class Of offenders
who have Oeen heretofore punished BY fine ard
imprisonment IN the county goals" They think
that under the present system, many commit
small crimes, il order that they NAV ebe. accom-
modated with comfortable home, secured from
cold and hunger where they may indulge them
selves in idlen ess, or IN contrving some mode of
future mischief, which may serve hereafter to
introduce them to the like well furnished lode.
ings and agreeable society,""
To remedy this evil " the committee proaose
that ID all cases, where tie convict shall be SEN
fenced to pay fine aud cost" s. those sums shah
uot be paid within ten DAYS after conviction. or
security given, tic sheriff shall cause the con-
yictto be conveyed 10 the State Prison. where
he shall be required to labour at a fixed sum pcr
day, until the amount be discharged and he
shall be lodged each night in a separate cell
The committee are OF opinion that females and
| juvenile offenders should never be sent 70 the
State Prison, but should be confined in The co,,n-
ty Goals.
The committee further propose that the State
Prison be erected at ThCmaston in tho cornt,
of Lincoln, Of stone. the plan of which thez hare
presented; their idea is that it should not hes :
splendid costly edifce whose superb exterior NJ
vites the adIniring gaze Of the beholder WHO
might indeed mistake it for the abode Of luxury
and afiuence, but that il should be so construed
ed that even its aspect might be terrific, and an
pear like what in fact il should be. a dark ,nd
comiortless abode Of guilt and wretchcdneer :
The colnmi ttee estimate that the whole -
pence OF the establishment viii not exceed sgo
600. 'ANesu s'o'
The reasoning of the committee is undoubted-
y correct, that solitary confinement Is best J.
dapted 70 produce reformation in the ot,iltv
| mind for such mind unemployed by exfernsI
objects and unexcted By the hepes and fears TO
which IT has been accustomed. is left to IFS ow,
| gloomy and corroding reflections, which onaw
upon It like deyouring worm. To such q mini
solitude IS the most severe and salutary punish.
ment. The great difficulty in Penitentiories
established in other states has been desire -
unite the reformation of the convict, with oh
tanning sufficient means to support them. II
has been pretty satisfactorily proved that theso
two objects cannot be combined
We think the expence for the establishment
is estimated full low we have not seen the h.;
of the calculation, but it is generally true The,
| undertakings Of this sort, exceed the exponca
| at which they are estimated.
The above committee had also the subject "
fixing on some place for permanent seat of poy-
eminent committed TO them. They reported
last week, that il should remain at Portland forr
years from the first Wednesday il January 1904
and afterwards be transferred 10 Augusta. ma
there be permanently established. The report
was committed in each branch and az abstrac,
of i viii be found in another part 0. cur paner