New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1846-11-28

Tods i'm tie Common Cornell
The Undersigned in behalf and by direction Of
.bc Executive Committed Of the Prison Associa
ton respectfully represent:
That the present condition Of the Penitentiary on
Blackwells Island is a rcproach TO the City and to
the administration OF criminal Justice. 1t is alike
inimca to the comfort health, moral government,
reformation and punishment Of its inmates. 1t is
impossible 10 perfect those improvements IA Prison
Discipline winch have been suggested by au en-
lgheucd philanthropy, and return to the long
p,oied CDugrccate system with all It's abomlna-
lions has been forced upon It's officers their only
resort. Cells not sufficient properly to accommo.
date one person have been at some Seasons, made
a receptacle for two and three and nj all times
large portion oil the inmates are necessarily dis
posed OF in an out building where one or two hun
bred couycls are thrown together in amass-nany
0ithcm insane or ldiotic-aud locked mp for the
night without beds or straw amid filth and
mn, and without keeper 10 quiet the turbulent or re-
strain the vicious Neither ashcation silence
be obtained and the contaminatine Influences OF evil
association only hwHr all attempts at reform but
have constant and inevitable tendency to corrupt de
and harden the young and oltmcs scarcely guilty
criminal, and 10 render his punishment the certain
OF his utter ruin Even separation oil hs sexes
ismpracticabe.
crowded the City Prison and there the innocent and the
guilty the witness and the condeJnned criminal
are compelled TO herd aud assOciate together.
This oil things in the Penen,ary IL subversiye
oil order. incompatible WIN reformation ana
Of the chief end punishment And the prison instead
OF being u terror evil doors has many become
attractive home. II s wei! known tina, numbers have
been absent only lew days time Tor ten or hitecn
wears And one female has been almost constant
cupaut OF the Bridcwel and Penitenrary for The last
thrtysix years and at probable exPcnse to the city OF
near $4,000
The rapid increase of population and the constant
influx OF foreign pGupers augmentng these evils
and already the necessity of enargug Pcniicnuay
and that too a early day. has become apparent.
One of the serious defects OF the present ange
ment is the combination OF Migrants and cninals-thus
comnlinelinG in the disgrace and punishment those
whose chief fault Is restitution or disease, and thuse
who willingly corrupt; and making no distinction
between poverty and crime. To make that distinction
obviously jus-so essential TO the moral elevation
OF the v6grant and the effective punishment OF the Grim
ual is great advantage promised from the establish
ment OF Workhouse.
The expenses OF the present establishment very
large imposing heavy burdens the honest part OF the
community for the support OF the idle and the vicious
and are constantly increasing both by augmentation OF
numbers and deficiency Of employment.
From the report OF the Aims. House Commissioner Tor
the past year and from other official appears
tina, the yearly expense OF each prisoner the Penitcn
uary $50 10 and subsequent examinations have salts
!actory proved that this may safely be assumed as
the general annual expense OF esch inmate al us cstab
hshmnnt
Tho average number of Migrants convicted and de
tanned for punishment in the Pcntcntary and City PMS
on during tho past year was lU2O muklng the annual
expense the City OF this class oil dcinquens alone
Sb6i02 This is exclusive OF the labor OF the conVetS
which Is consumed in the establishment and which has
not hitherto been productive OF revenue. TINS labor
l2t day tor each prisoner would produce III
the wear $50 1917 30 So that the class OF prisoners
braced within this portion OF the Charter OF the Prison
Association annual expense OF Sl05,'99 90
The cost however, in money to the City II must be
remembered, is for cach vaeran 500 10 year sum
than double the annual expense OF the viraous
poor in this State and much greater than that incurred
in of the Prisons i'll the United States OF which we
have any knowledge.
The Committee are not unmndfu of the difficulty
which arises from the shortncs' OF the period OF con
hncment generally too brief TO teach habits OF produc
otpft, Vat
consideration and having IN view the fact that IN all our
State Prisons where labor is properly directed an ave
rage of % 10 - day for each convict produc-
ed the Committee Hin TO believe that Is not eN
avagRnt 10 calculate that the Migrants can be made 10
produce aud above the labor TINT shall be devoted
their supply average OF l9t cents II day Tor
each Individual
More than double this is constantly attanc& in our
State Prisons, and why may no, our expectations OF
doing half well be rcaiIcd If they should be IN
this respect alone saving OF near $4,000 year would
he elected and the Committee persuaded, should
Their application prove successful INA" 'hel can susses'
measure more equitable than general t0Nauon winch
would in the end relieve the City Treasury from the
greater part if not from the whole OF the residue OF this
expense
view the fact which all experience has demonstrated
that such institutions be far better managed oy prl
vae associations than by public authorities the Commit
lee invite the attention OF the Common Council to thS'
provision of their act OF incorporation by which the
Prison Association is authorized 10 establish Work
house the City for the reception OF Migrants and dis
orderly persons and is empowered TO keep dctain en-
pcy and govern them and they so!ici, from the Com
mon Council the carrying into e'ectthc ocncNo
lent intentions OF the Legislature.
BY reference the accompanying documents Il wil'
To- seen that large increase 10 The number OF oicerS Is
proposed. The Committee intended IN their estimates
IL lake the outside OF What would probably be required
The labor ot the prisoners 10 be productive must be per
formed in common, To prevent intercourse between
enl during their hours az labor aud 10 see t they
perform faithfully their allotted tasks Will require the
sicicst wNchalncss Flu, that is not NIL the duty which
It proposed devoNc on the several keepers. They
zfg al a. tn Ia
and we'll they must become acquainted with the char
aeter ami dispositions OF the persons under their chsrc
AL experience kas shown that the faithful performance
OF these duties. amid population undergoing such
slant change would forbid that keeper should have
charge of more than 70 or ~ prisoners.
In This and in other respects, as Will be seen
in those papers the Executive Committee have prepared
and provided for moral instruction Tor the prisoners and
they regard this essential feature OF their plan
Wherever il has been introduced into prisons Il has been
attended with the hSppest results In Houses OF hei"se
Tor Juvenile peinqucnts has been IN sUcccss! opera
ton many wears In prisons Tor adults II has been miro
dacsd much spsrinsly, and AZ later periods ou'
shl with beneficial effects
twill be seen that OF 66s Migrants in the Fenenuary
stoUr examination in June last Il were under tae age
otsN and 400 under the OF 80 years and hat proper
Ton varies little in the Of the year 80 that s' OF
taen age which promises good fruit nom Judi
eEas and careful cultivation and when shal! be re
asecred that OF these young persons hsve never
ssoysd the advantage Q; mora ca1:c-tlst many OF
s<Sn have learned any trade by which to OBTAIN
u honest livelihood and bat lew Of them have ever
sea taught the Temporal advantages OF Nvi;tuous
Iei vii readily be ielt thS; the hope o; working nuch
god among class abandoned By society the IN
ssenec OF every evil passion to the destroying IN
sssnee Of corrupt association Is entirely without
foundation
To cree, and conduct prison which shall prevent the
mutual contamination OF prisoners which BY is own Is
20 shan relieve the honest part OF tine community from
s :. oSsSeS o. us support and which shall bring to eeaT
poa neglected and degraded portion OF our popula
sNa every practicable appliance Tor education and NOR
Se.ori are the ends which the Prison Association
Proposes 10 itself
Without presuuins 10 dictate the action o, the Com
noa Council the Committee beg leave nevertheless re-
peciuiy 10 remind them tina, Backwels Island has
es been and probably long viii DC devoted 10 the pur
poses OF penal establishment and tina, many sdvanta
ses mus, result from concentrating s institutions o.
| secluded
already great Injury has grown out Of the location OF
ae Lans,c Asylum the Island produced by The !
sowGs OF visitors which attracts thus relaxing the
pAne OF the Pen!.eniiarY and converting tho Island