The Rhode-Island Republican. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1809-1841, 1834-02-26

| addition 10 this, the expense OF tnelr recon
yictions, and the expense OF atte endiGg to their
petitions to the General Assembly for release
( form no inconsiderable item in the annual
expenses Of the state. This species of pun
ishment is not only expensive to the State,
| but it is believed by your committee. that its
direct tendency is rather to increase than
! prevent crime.
For these reasons and others will readily
suggest themselves, your committee are Of
opinion, that a reform in the penal code Of
! the State, is necessary. In deciding in what
| that reform shall consist, and in what maa.
ner Offences against the law shall be punish
ed, great assistance may be derived from the
expe rience Of other States. MANY Of them
have expended large sums in experiment on
this subject. Systems Of punishment have
| been adopted in some, which they have
| been obliged TO abandon almost as soon as
reduced to practice. Others seemed to sue
ceed at first, but have been found afterwards
| to be worse than useless.
Among these as the most prominent. were
solitary confinement without labour, and the
pcnlte ntiary system, as at first adopted
There can be little doubt, that such solitary
Imprisonment is one Of the most severe pun
ishments that can be inflicted, and that it has
q powerful effect in producing individual re-
formation. But in the state of New York,
where the experiment was tried, in the
State Prison at Auburn, and in the State Of
| Maine it has been abandoned having been
found to be very prejudicial to the health OF
| the prisoner.
| Under the pententiary system as at first
| adopted, the prisoner was restrained Of his
liberty and compelled to labor. The inter.
course between the prisoners was not inter-
rupted. In the day time they were kept at
their tasks, and at night confined together
in large cells. The most prominent instiiu.
tions of this kind, were the Walnut street
prison, in Philadelphia, Newgate in Connec-
| ticut, and the State prison in the city OF New
York. Experience has demonstrated, these
and all other similar institutions, to be
schools of vice and iniquity, effecting no ia :.
vourablc change in the moral characters of
their inmates striking little terror to the
! minds Of those disposed to break the laws,
and at the same time highly expensive to the
States that established them.
! II is tho combination of the two systems
which must effect what both philanthropists
and legislators have always ardenty desir
ed a midway course which would combine
the advantages, and at the same time, avoid
tho evils of both. This must subject the
prisoner to solitary confinement, as far os
health will permit; and at the same time
compel him to labor for his support.
The first attempt at this combination was
in 1921, in the prison at Auburn, New York.
There the prisoners are collected together
for labor and instruction and at all other
times are kept apart. A strict supervision
of them is had at all times, to prevent CONF
munication between them. This was most
important step in the improvement Of prison
discipline. So satisfactory have been its re-
suits, that the system has been introduced, in
most of the State prisons since erected
Still it's most strenuous advocates admit, that
there is constant communication among
the prisoners; and that it is impossible to
prevent it. The recent murder of one of The
keepers of the Wcathersfield prison, by the
convicts, is confirmutory OF the fact. So far
as this communication exists between the
prisoners, it is believed this system is impcr-
feet.
Tho next step in tho Improvement ofprison
discipline, was made in Pennsylvania. In the
Eastern pententary in that State, the con-
vcts are kept In solitary confinement at la.
our, with instruction in labor, in morals and
in religion. This institution has been in op.
peration, a number Of years, with success.
In it, no pr isoner knows who besides HIM
self are its inmates. He sees no human
face except his keepers and his instructors.
lie hears no voice except that which is urg-
ing him 70 the formation ofhabits OF industry
and respect for the laws. He applies him.
self to his labor, as a recreation, and IN
hours ofrest, is left to commune with his
own heart. The first prisoner was received
into this penitentiarv in October, 1899. Up
to December 1882, ithe whole number re-
ceived was l42. OF these up to the last
date, SO have been discharged. The pris-
oners have been made to pay, all the expen.
ses of the prison, except the salaries: but
what speaks volumes in its favor is, that not
one of those. e.djscharged, have been reconvic'
ted ;and so far as they have been heard from
their conduct has been generally correct.
1t is also fac:, that the number Of convicts,
has not increased in that State, since the
erection Of this penitentiary, though the
population Of the State, has been much in.
creased. In view Of these facts, the State
Of New Jersey has commended the cree ton
of a penitentiary, on the same principle.
To erect penitentiary Of this kind, the cells
must be necessarily larger, than where the
Auburn system is adopted. And although
workshops may be dispensed with, all the
buildings and rooms used in that plan, for
halls, chapel, hospital and such purposes /;
still the expense Of erecting the necessary
buildings, must exceed considerably the ,ex-
pense Of erecting all the buildings requisite
on the Auburn plain. But it appears proba.
bic that the expenses of guarding the prison
ers would be considerably less when each
prisoner is not only separated from all others
but when hc.k knows not who those others are
there can be but little opportunity for CON.
bna,ion among them. And as each prison.
er is at all times, confined by locks and
bolts, there can be but little chance for es.
cape, and consequently fewer guards would
be necessary to prevent it.
On the whole the committee are in "a yor