The Litchfield County post., 1826-07-18

Prop. Of C0JOTed peasOns to t1se Il 111l III
 sphose Popusation, t74l34I 35I ISI94 Prop, of Cotored conVicts to the LIE1IIIl ILL
 schole No. Of Conuicts, l3i4 SIS n Veraont, I i,s s6 of the schole coloured pop
 atlatsan are c0ssuicts.
 An argument Is hence derived for the edu- cation of the blacks. About one fourth part of all the expense incurred by the states above mentioned, for the support of their criminal institutions is for their coloured convicts.
 The whole coloured population of Massa- Chusetts, Connecticut, and New-York, has been less than 54,O0O, and for the support of the convicts of this small population,in 271 years ending in December, 1925, the three states have expended SI64,O66. The expen- allure of S164,oOo, in so short time, for the purposes of education, among people con- sistingof only 54,O00 souls, would very soOnl raise their character to a level with that of the whites, and diminish the number of con- victs from among them, about ten fold.
 If, however, their character cannot be raj sed,- where they are, a powerful argument may be derived from these facts, in favour of colonization: and civilized states ought surely to be as willing to expend money on any giv- en part of its population, to prevent crime as ' to punish it. We cannot but indulge the hope
 
 lead to an effort to raise the character of the coloured population,will strengthen thehands and encourage the hearts, of all the friends of coionizing the free people of colour in the Northern States.
 Cro3p1ed Niglt Roons.-In the New Hamp- shire and Vermont Penitentiaries, from twoI to six are lodged in each room: in Massachu- setts, from four to sixteen; in Connecticut, from fifteen to thirty-two; in New York city, twelve; in Pennsylvania, twenty mine, thirty, and thirty y-one; in Maryland, from seven to ten; in Virginia, from two to four. The rooms, in which So many conyicts are lodged are none of them large, and ssnae are very narrow, and insuficiently ventilated. Inl Philadelphia ,the rooms are 18 feet by 20, and 1t IS a common rule, to allow each convict, a space on the floor, six feet by two; as large as coffin. In Massachusetts, the rooms are so narrow, that the only mode of lodging all the men, in some of them,is by swinging ham mocks one above another, and in Connecticut. during the hot weather, in July 1895, S2 fmeni were lodged, in basement story room, Q1 rect long, 10 feet wide, and less than 7 feet high. All the ventilation of this room, was one small window, and narrow space over| 1nedO0r. The whole number of prisoners at Newgate, lO9, were lodged in.5 rooms. These rooms are all in the basement story, and the dimensions of each of. the rooms, are less than 1ne dimensions of the room above described. 1nese rooms are not only narrow and crowd ca' buthithy inthe extreme; and the commits 'siOners of the Legislature, in their recent re- 40Ft state, that vermin of various kinds abound n them. If a convict is not already lost to virtue, 1t is difficult to eonesiSe,i in whnt man dily, than by tbrustlng him into such a place. a
 These nightroonns are nurseries of crime where the convict is furnished with the ex. pedents and shifts of guilt, and with his in. vention sharpened he is let loose upon socie. ty, ina tenfold degree more daring, despe rate, and effective william. Here the young associate with the old ofender,the petty thie becomes the pupil of the highway robber the beafdless boy listens with delight to the well fold tale of daring exploits, and hair breadth escapes of hoary headed villianny, and from the experience of age derives iil- struction, which fits him tc be a terror and pest to society. Community of design is excited among them and instead of reforma ton, ruiiiis the general result. ss 2 Eff number of ingenious men were !tc suggest the best possible mode of increasif,e the number of fthieves. .fobbers,a and yagabonds it could scarcely be in their power, to fxor any plan, so likely to produce this effect, as coniining in one collection, number of per. sons asreaaE c0nvicted Of crimes Of every de
 lgiky Idsks.- Another cause ofthe increase ofcrime, is what is called in the Penitentiaries osersteat. It is customary to assign the men daily tasks, to be done for the Sfate. After their taslsis done, their time is their own An account is kept ofall their earnings in the leisure time, and for these earnings, they re. ceive . liberal Compensation Cases not un. frequently occur, in which prisoners earn for themselves from three toiive dollars per week, and in which they cap do all the work they are compelled to do, for the State, by ia or o'clock. & , &
 The evils of this overstent are, that it indu- ces the prisoners to practice deception in re- lationtQ the work which they are able to per- form; is productive ofinsubordination, allow ing the prisoner, if he clloosessto lounge or play after his task is done and is also a fruitful source of Corruption. furnishing the means of purchasing cards. rum, and materi- als ter counterfeiting. and of bfibing those