Evening star., 1901-09-12
DISCIPLINE IN PRISONS
PUNISHMENT IN THE PENAL INsTITU-
TIONs OF ENGLAND.
Severe Treatment of COnvicts-Im-
prOvements I'm Jail Life In
the United States,

From the Sing Sing Prison Paper, Star Of Hope. "
The amelioration of prison discipline In
| the last twenty years has been SO marked
that even those persons who rarely observe
| anything have noted the change. The aboli-
| tion of the contract system, although not
| general in the United States. Is practically
| so in all the northern states, and no longer
| exists in any European country. Its abuses
were so varied and incurable that I. was
necessary to root 1t out entirely, and this
has been done, except in few states in the
south, where the social conditions are such
as to prevent any radical changes unless
pushed with persistent effort. That was
the most important step made in prison re-
| form, and it's good effects upon The prison
ers are SO obvious that they cannot be ques-
/ toned. There is, however. little harmony
| of method in the prisons of different states,
| or even in the prisons of the same state.
| the management Of each institution being
| the author, for the most part, of it's body
OF rules and regulations, although in New
] York a long step in the Capitalization Of
| authority has been made, and in the similar
methods of administration.
In British Prisons.
I. is possible that, with the frequent Inn
provements made In the condition of con-
victs in recent years, those who profit by
| them may be interested in the methods en-
|
pline is stern and unyielding and every day
of a sentence has twenty-four hours Of
| time in It, 1t has fallen to my lot to do a
/ long Tagging in public works prison In
England, and the experience has no allevi-
] ating memory. 1t was simply unalloyed
| haoes. On conviction and sentence the
prisoner is taken TO county prison to do
! nine months Of separate confinement. This
! Is spent In large cell, well warmed light
] ed and ventilated, without a bed for the
| first three months, with a bed two nights in
then with increasing frequency, until the
| last month bed, with sheets, rug and pill
low, Is given every night.
The work is sowing bags and weaving
and the task is much as a green hand
! can do with industry. The food Is ample,
| but unvaried-23 ounces of bread daily
made from unbolted flour A pint of Cruel
| for breakfast and supper, based upon four
| ounces of oatmeal; and pint of soup for
| dinner four days in the week, and three
| ounces OF meat on the other three days,
with eight ounces of potatoes daily. The
| food Is clean, served in the cell hot, and is
ample for man not working In the open
air
No one except a keeper comes into the
CELL The governor of the prison passes
| the open door daily and the doctor comes
| IT summoned. No books except a Bible
hymn book and prayer book are given, and
there is no variation in this awful period
] or mentally. The keeper is not allowed to
speak to a prisoner except in the briefest
| terms and then only to issue an order
l spent six months in this separate con-
hnement without hearing human voice
except at church service, and the whole
nine months of separates" without speak
| ing word to a fellow-prisoner The fnten-
| tion of this imprisonment is to give the pris-
oner realizing sense of his position, and
! 1t fetcheS him every time by It's cold
calm, silent, unchangng oppression.
The separates being finished, the pris-
oner Is transferred to the public works
t>pr1son, OF which there are now four in
England-Dartmoor, Portland, Parkhurst
and Borstal-with a female prison at Az
| lesbury, in Oxfardshire. Men who were
engaged in the Same offense or broth .rs
are not sent to the same prison.
Punishment of Men.
The transfer Is made in q prison car
which is simply an exclusive carriage. ard
the traveller Is not made the wretched VIC
tim Of public curiosity. Arriving on the
public works the prisoner Is assigned to
outside labor and kept at It, There is an
average of one warder or assistant warder
to every ten men, besides a battalion of the
Royal Infantry for guards at eacn station
These warders are long-service men with
frst-class discharges from the army navy
or marine corps, in which school they
have learned that an order from su-
perior authority is sacred. They ale for
| hidden to construe any offense they may
observe in any other way than as a SUBJ
! ject of report. and report means Eunish-
ment in 800 cases out of 1000
Punishment consists Of confln -n.ent in
separate cells, light and warm, with one
pound of bread and pint Of water
daily, loss of class. privileges Of writing
or receiving letters or visits. For assaults
on officers the penalty Is foggins with
either the cat or birch, not more than
thirty-nine strokes of either; but no man
fails to be taken to the hospital who has
received twenty cuts of the cat The work
is redeeming marsh land, building fort
reSSeS, quarry1ng stone or cutting 1t for
building purposes. But the days work
even In summer, Is rarely more than seven
hours. Meals are taken In the cells and
the food is not sufficient. There are no
fat men In penal servitude. 1t is prescribed
to the fraction of an ounce, and il the pris-
oner feels that he has not his allowance
| he can, at all times have it weighed or
measured in his own presence.
Classes of Convicts.
AS his sentence wears away the prisoner
| passes into different classes which are
! shown by the facings on his jacket with
| Increased privileges; and the last year Of
| his sentence. If he has been a good-conduct
| man throughout, may be spent in the spe-
| cial class, which gives him a blue Dress
| visits every two months and more frequent
| falls in with the perpetual SUPERVISION
| which never relaxes. No man can go out
| of sight of the officer in charge of his party
| nor pass behind him. He must not talk
| laugh, nor even smile. He is not allowed
| any other article in his possession than
! handkerchief. He can have no paper nor
! pencil, but one piece Of soap, one towel,
] one wooden spoon, one plate, tin cup and
washbasin. He must be silent, obedient
| and, although the rules do not say so he
| must look as miserable as 1t is intended to
| make him feel. The weekly dietary scale
| never changes. There are no holidays ex-
| cept Good Friday and Christmas, and these
! are only marked by chapel service, which
! never changes. No outsiders ever come
| to speak, nor are there any visitors ever
| admitted into the prison. In eight years 1
never heard Woman's voice in speech or
| song; never tasted fruit, nor any other
vegetable than peas and potatoes; never
| spoke to a fellow prisoner except suA-ep-
! titiously. During imprisonment the worst
] offense possible Is to have tobacco. The
| heel of an old pipe that is blowing about
snatched up, will cost six months short
| time-if caught. Every man is searched
| five times a day; his cell is visited and
searched two OR three times a week, and
yet the men do get tobacco, and take long
! risks to get 1t.
| On discharge the prisoner receives "a