The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1872-07-26
THE INTERNATIONAL PRISON CONGRESS.
The Closing Days Proceedings OF
the Delegates.
Female Prisoners-The Irish or Crofton System
Prison Discipline System Of India-Penitcn-
tiary Prisons in the United States
Commemoration Banquet in
tho Middle Temple.

commentator Banquet IN
tho Middle Temple.
LONDON, July 10, 1872
This Congress met again on Thursday. It was
divided into three sections, which met simultane-
ously. Dr. Mouatt presided over the section which
met at the Of the Society Of Arts John street.
Adelphi; and among those present were Arch
bishop Manning, Sir w. Crolton, Sir g. Tawle,
| Colonel Radcliffe, Baron Won Holtzendorf, General
| Macfarlane, and Miss Carpenter. The first subject
for discussion the reformatory systems adopted
| in the county and borough prisons. Mr.. Armitage
gave an account OF the management Of the prison.
ers at the Wakefield County Jail, which appeared to
| be very successful. Some discussion arose on the
subject, In the course Of which Archbishop Manning
said that the material part OF their discipline,
the treatment OF their criminals In respect OF
labor, the care Of training them through
their Imprisonment, and, If possible of find
ing them employment when they get out, was, in
England, carried to as high point as 1t could be.
But he was afraid the report which the delegates
would carry away with them would be. that whereas
the material state Of their prisons was in high per-
fiction their moral system was not as high as 1t
might be expected to be. He believed that go to
the root of crime, and to prevent 1t rather than
punish it, was the true wisdom Of q legislature;
and he must say was the only way of dealing with
the people, and that the reformatory and Industrial
schools under the present statute were the very
best part of their criminal Jurisprudence. He be-
eved the of tine reformatories to be due to
the fact that they were founded upon tho SIMPLE
equal and just treatment of every class of Her Ma
jestvs subjects. Discussions also took place the
American county prison systems, on the Irish
county prison systems and on the Scotch prison
systems. There was q remarkable concurrence Of
opinion among the Congress that nearly all crime
was traceabe to drink. The Congress adjourned ut
| four O'c lock.
FEMALE PRISONERS.
| section of the Congress assembled at the Law
| Institute, Chancery lane. Lady Bowring presided.
| The attendance was very limited, and consisted
| principally of ladies, among whom were Miss Emily
Faithful and Miss Carpenter Miss Carpenter de-
livered an address advocating female agency in the
work of reforming prisoners. She held that there
should be lady visitors in all prisons for the pur-
pose of bringing female influence to bear upon
| prisoners, OF their own sex and young persons.
male prisoners, and in far lower state Of degra-
| datOn, and 10 was necessary that lady visitors,
an d position Mnn aSey m Mons BE- OF the
ing in the requisite influence, should visit regularly
females undergoing sentence In the 1ails,
and bring to bear upon them not only Christian
sympathy and instruction. but the powers Of
| an elevated mind. 1t was also OF great Importance
conducted and managed by ladies. AS instancing
the happy effects OF female influence, she men
toned that In Ireland the ladies OF the Golden
Bridge Convent took female prisoners, who were
allowed to go to them from the prisons, for the pur-
pose of industrial aud moral instruction, on leave
under certain conditions and out of the thousands
who had so passed through that institution there
had been very few lapses. She pointed out also the
tuition, in London, which Miss Faithful, who fol-
lowed, confirmed from personal observation: The
| good effects of Mrs. Meredith's Discharged Female
Prisoners Aid Institution, In Wandsworth road,
were also adverted to. Mrs. Howe who gave some
| and the wonderful power OF female influence
in the work Of reform there; Mrs. Lewis, Mr..
Bremner (Of Manchester), Mr.. Harper and other
speakers joined in the discussion of the topic-the
| special work of females in reforming female pris-
oners-all Of them dwelling upon the immense
value of ladies visiting female prisons systemati
cay. 1t was further urged That the present sys-
tenn OF prison discipline tended to harden female
prisoners, instead of reforming them, and In many
cases to drive them to despair. and the general
principle was laid down that woman only could re-
form woman.
THE IRISH OR CRoFToN SYSTEM.
The French section over which M M , hoyson (of
Of Ar Arts, John street, AdelphI Tho President
I opened the sitting In speech, wherein he ex.
plained that the two main principles upon which
| press its opinion were, first, the Irish or Croi-
ton system, as. established in Ireland; and
! second, the cellular system, as prevailing
In Belgium. The question was not to be regarded
In that er-phanthropic spirit which exaggerates
too high an idea of human perfection, but In ac-
cordance with the practical views OF such men
have lived among prisons and prisoners. Sir Wal
ter Crolton then gave condensed lucid and ex-
hanstive expose OF the system which he had sue
one in which the Old system of associate mprson-
ment was blended with. the new principle OF
strictly separate confinement. He gave history
OF the acts regulating convict prisons in Ireland
and England, and an explanation OF the three
stages Of convict lifc-penal, modified, and lastly,
sy his sysem IN by
the success OF that system, ana Its Interior
good efects upon discharged prisoners. insist
ing particularly on the principle Of progressive
labor, which was the distinctive and special
element in it. He then answered variety OF cues
ttAYa MD
Austrian, Italian and American delegates, specially
referring the statistics OF reapsed convcts hop
ing that the system would In time be extended TO
ali county and borough prisons, and insisting on
the habits of seltcontrol and voluntary good be
havior which the system instils.
Closing Days Proceedings.
Two sections of this Congress met yesterday IN
the rooms Of the Society Of Arts. Adelphi. The re-
formatory and womans work section met in the
Library, Mr. +. Hill in the chair. After lew words
from the Chairman Miss Carpenter proceeded to
give an account of her experience with reference
to relofmatory education. In America there was O
general system OF education by which every child
was capable Of obtaining free education II he de-
sired IT, sc9 IN ss n rHm s sas w1sa
clearly indicated that there was, even In
that country, where there was free national
education. a stratum In society which did not come
under the ordinary action OF national education,
aud that these children required special care and
special action. She urged the necessity OF having
day industrial schools. recognized by and CO.
existent with School Board schools which would
not reach certain class OF children. In the st.
James Back Ragged school, Bristol which was
now called the Day Industrial School, children
were enabled TO obtain clothing by winning GER
tain number OF marks ana by paying small noml-
nal sum. This system worked well with chifeni
| they soon got little more decent And she noped
these sort OF schools would be certified as NJ ana
proper by the school Boards. She did not thnk ~
was wise to send children 10 reIormatory schoos
until every effort was made TO reclaim them III lIee
day Industrial schools. Mr.. Marshall supported
| Miss Carpenter's views. The Chairman then gave
a r6sum5 OF II paper by MIR. sheriff Watson ON the
| rcformatory systems employed ~ Scot,anu' WHICH
! seemed to work exceedingly wen. MT. van Meter,
| of to Howard Mission, New YORK, gavea vivid dc.
scrptou OF his aJors In that city. and said that
| snce Is,n no less than l0T children had been re-
ceiyed into tho Howard Home, and that the Home
mad been Tor than eighteen years successfully