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-Peniten-
tiary Prisons in the United States
Concentration Banquet in
the Middle Temple.
LONDON, July 10, 1872.

THIS congress met again on Thursday. 1t was
divided into three sections, which met simultane-
ously DR.. Mouatt presided the section which
met at the Of the Society Of Arts John street.
Adelphi; and among those present were Arch
bishop Manning, Sir w. Crofton, Sir 9. Tawle,
| Colonel Radcliffe, Baron Won Holtzendorf General
| Macfarlane and Miss Carpenter The first subject
for discussion was the reformatory systems adopted
| In the county and borough prisons. Mr.. Armtage
| gave account OF the management of the prison.
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 in high per-
fiction their moral system not high as 1t
might be expected to be. He believed that to go to
the root OF crime, and to prevent 1t rather than
punish it, was the true wisdom OF legislature;
and he must say was the only way Of dealing with
the people, and that the feformatory and Industrial
schools under the present statute were the very
best part of their criminal Jurisprudence He be-
ieved the of the reformatories to be due
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 on the
American county prison systems. on the Irish
county prison systems and on the Scotch prison
systems. There was a remarkable concurrence Of
opinion among the Congress that nearly all crime
was traceabe to drink. The Congress adjourned at
four o'c lock.
FEMALE PRISONERS
A 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.
Female prisoners, as class, were far worse than
male prisoners, and in far lower state OF degra-
holding Official position as members OF the
Prison Board, without which they would be want
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 but y, the powers Of
that the reformatory schools for girls should be
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
advantages conferred by the Queens Square Insti-
tuition. IN London, which Miss Faithful, who fol-
| good effects OF Mrs. Meredith's Discharged Female
Prisoners Aid Institution, in Wandsworth road,
| were also adverted to. Mrs. Howe who gave some
account OF q female reformatory In Massachusetts,
and the wonderful power OF female influence
Bremner (of Manchester), Mr.. Harper and other
speakers joined In the discussion OF the topic-the
W9rE Z, q s females II reforming ns female p
value Of ladies visiting female prisons systemati-
cally 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-
THE IRISH OR cRorroN SYSTEM.
The French section, over which NJ Loyson (of
OF Arts, John street, Adelph. Tho President
opened the sitting in n speech, wherein he exc
the Congress would be called upon to ex-
press its opinion were, first the Irish or Crof,
second, the cellular system, as prevailing
In Belgium. The question was not TO be regarded
h Of w and
too high an idea OF human perfection but In ac-
cordance with the practical views OF such men as
have lived among prisons and prisoners, Sir Wal
ter Crolton then gave condensed, lucid and ex-
haustive erpose OF the system which he had sue
ceeded in establishing In Ireland, that is to say
one in which the old system OF associate imprison-
ment blended with. the new principle OF
strictly separa ate confinement. He gave q history
OF the acts regulating convict prisons in Ireland
and England and an explanation OF the three
stages OF convict lfc-penal, modified, and lastly,
Sy his SYSTEM Hs
the success OF that system ana Its Interior
ing particularly on the principle Of progressive
labor, which was the distinctive and special
element in it. He then answered variety OF cues
tions addressed to him by the Russian, Dutch,
Austrian Italian and American delegates, specially
referring to the statistics OF relapsed convicts hop
ing that the system would In time be extended TO
all county and borough prisons, and insisting on
the habits of seItcontrol and voluntary good be
havlor which the system instlls.
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.. p. Hi in the chair. After lew words
from the Chairman Miss Carpenter proceeded to
give an account Of her experience with reference
to edqca,c IN AZ Ae rc there was
was capable Of obtaining free education II he de-
sired II. Nevertheless, nom statistics which
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,
and 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 and by paying small 1oml.
they soon got a little more decent. And she hoped
these sort OF schools would be certified as ~ ana
proper by the School Boards. She did not think ~
was wise to send children TO reIormatory schools
until every EFFORT was made TO reclaim them In iree
,lay Industrial schools Mr.. Marshall supported
Miss Carpenters views. The Chairman tncn gave
a rCsumS OF a paper by MIR. sheriff watson on the
rcformatory systems employed N scotana' when
seemed TO work exceedingly wen. Mr.. van Meter
OF tse Howard Mission, New YORK, gayea vivid de-
scrptIop OF his a5ors in that city, and said that
since lsdn no less than 1l07 children had been re-
ceived into tho Howard Home, and that the Home