Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1884-12-05

Presens FERN.
lIsondon Newell
Recent evtnfs have shown some rtasonto
believe that among things not generally IN
| dcrstood 10 whst Il called in pcpulat par
| lance tie ticket-of-leayc system. The ex-
| precision, by the way. Is probably the In
veriion Of the criminal intellect, which, as
everybody knows, delights In giving utter
ance TO lie own ideas In It's own pc.
culiar way. tits, In fart. merely m item OF
slang which has somehow established Itself
in common use--probably on account OF It's
dfstiuctivcness--to the general exclusion Of
| the more correct and act-oi-parlIamcntary
| term "licensc." In Official circles and In
official documents prisoners are not said to
be discharged "on ticket.of-leave,otbu
they are liberated "under license" There
are, however, all sorts OF licenses. but only
| one system Of 'sticket-of-leave." and hence
no doubt this has been generally adopted
no the more convenient and unmistakabie
| term.
The system dates back to 1854 in It's pre-
sent form, and IL one Of the results OF the
substitution Of penal scrvifude within the
| kingdom for transportation beyond the
seas. The system was indeed adopted some
years before this. and In 1856 there were
over 2,6CO prisoners liberated under
Incense. After time. however, so many OF
these licensed criminals were found to be
employing their liberty In the preparation
| Of fresh crimes that popular outcry was
| raised against this method OF relieving in
land goals, and in 1864 the whole system
was overbauled and subjected TO Important
amendments. The relief OF the iails OF the
| country was an inducement TO adopt the
practice OF liberatine prisoners before the
| expiration of their periods OF sentence.
| but more important inducement was the
means IT afforded Of offering reward for
good behavior while in prison, and there
was also the further consideration that by
| disciarging prisoner conditionally 1t
gave the police right 10 exercise super
vision for time. A prisoner who has
served the whole term OF his sentence is
Of course exempt from all police over.
sight unless. as Is often done, the judge
specially imposes q term OF super
vision in addition TO the imprison-
ment. II was thought tnat It would be bet
ter to let a criminal go at large.before the
expiration OF his sentence, so that his ef-
forts TO obtain an honest livelihood might
be stimulated by the consideration that,
unless be speedily succeeded In this. he
would probably be rclegated to Jail. The
iicket-Of-leave system, as instituted by act
OF Parliament. was not an entirely new
thing. II bad long been the practice to
allow remission OF part OF sentence to
weIl.cOnducted convicts, but IL has been
only since the abolition OF transportation
that the practice has been reduced to pre-
else and definite system.
The great merit OF the plan Of granting
remission Of portion of sentence IS that
II affords what experience has shown to be
the strongest OF all inducements TO industry
and good behavior. Prison authorities
used at one time 10 allow improvements In
the diet Of prisoners as a reward for good
behavior. Food little better in quality
and more OF il was dealt out 10 those who
were well conducted. On one or two
grounds, however, this was thought to be
Objectionable but chiefly because. as Sir
Edmund Du Cane explains, lit was found
that unfavorable expressions were produced
outside by comparing the diet OF the prison.
or who enjoyed these slight Improvements
in the quantity or quality OF the food with |
that OF the honest, Woodworking free
man, whose scsnty means were hardly !
sufficient TO keep himself and family |
in health" In 1864 privileges Of
increased diet were abolished, and |
the advantages OF industry and |
good conduct in prison now consist in |
the gradual progress from one class to
anoiher-the probation class, the third, |
second, first, and sometimes during the |
last years special class. These advance
ments are attended by more frequent |
communications with friends, more free
dom for exercise on Sundays, and the |
earning Of higher gratuity OF money 10 |
be paid on discharge. The greatest reward |
OF exemplary behavior and steady work in |
prison. however, is the "ticket-of leave" |
The utmost that prisoner may gain in re-
mission amounts to one fourth OF his entire |
sentence, and this Is obtained not, strictly /
speaking. by good conduct, but by hard |
work. Good conduct in prison is sort OF |
negative virtue, md means little more than /
RETAINING from acts OF characterization or
iTreguIarity. However exemplary pris-
oner may he in his conformity 10 rules he
gets no credit for that. IL he wishes TO
reduce the term Of his Imprisonment he
must work well. For steady. hard labor and /
the full performance Of his allotted task a
prisoner gets eight marks day; for any
thing falling only little under this ne will |
receive seven marks. and for fair but |
moderate days work six marks are al |
lowed. Indifferent or bad conduct involves
q fine OF so many marks, and as II is uron the |
accumulation OF these marks that prisoner |
Is advanced from one class to another, and |
upon them also Is calculated the remission |
Of sentence, prisoner in order 10 gain the /
benefit OF the utmost lcniency Of the |
law must break no prison rules and |
must work steadily and well. Every
prisoner is supplied with a card upon
which his marks ale periodically recorded, |
and IL he is not satisfied that this is
fairly done he has the right OF complaining. |
"In this manner" says the chairman
of the prisons directors, "day by day,
week by week, and year by year, he can,
count and record the progress he is making |
toward an advance in class, in accumua-
ton OF money, and toward final remission
OF his punishment; and he is made per-
feetly to see ond to fee, that his own fate is
in his own hands, and that he has solne-
thing to work and TO hope for more than
the mere avoidance Of punishment"
There used to be very general impression
that the remission OF prisoners sentence
depended very largely upon his power OF
d" humbugging the chaplain" II will be
seen from what has been SAID that any in
fuence of this kind is quite outside the
mechanism OF our penal system, and in
deed this notion has now been pretty we'll
exploded.
As regards female convicts, the system
under which they are managed is III it,
main lines the same as that for males; but
there are some important differences. In
stead OF a remission OF one fourth OF the
sentence. which is all that male convicts
can gain. females may, il they choose. re-
duce their sentence 10y one third: and,
il they are particularly well con-
Quoted. and seem to be OF character likely
TO be permanently reformed, they may be
allowed to pass the last six months Of their
detention IN "refuce "a comfortable
home, that is to say. where they are treat
ed not rs prisoners. but as inmates OF
private establishment.
In the case Of both male and female con-
victs who have won q REMISSION OF sem
tence, the ordinary course is TO grant " an
order OF license" which is couched In the
following terms: Whitehall, 9th day OF
October, 1884. Her Majesty is graciousy
pleased to grant 10 John Smith, who was
convicted OF felony at Maidstone on the
18th day OF May. 1875. and was then and
there sentenced TO be kept in penal servi-
tude for the term OF ten years, aud is now
confined in Dartmoor prison, her royal
license 10 be at large from the day OF his
liberation under this order, during
the remaining nortion ~ hfa e.ih 1