Prison Discipline.
The Times, 1824-09-06T00:00:00

From i Carrequondenl It wlll be recollected, that onr the passing of the Gaol Act, during the last session - of Parliament, it was not leemned expedient to brinig untler its operation the prisons under corporate jurlstlictions. The deplorable state of the greater part of these Iprisns wa3 well known to the framers of the statute, but it was considered that rnles whicil were strictly applicable to county gaols-to regulate which was the great object of the act-couldl not be enforced in the management of gaois of a smaller description. At the close of the session, however, Mr. Peel expressel a hope that efficiont meamires woull tie taken by the local Magistracy for the improyemernt of these defective prisons, andi he ac- cornpanied the intimation with a hint, that if his expecta- tions were nlot realizedl ivithin a reasonable time, he shouldl feel it to be his duty to bring under the consideration of the Legislature the: proVriety /of taking from the Ha- gistracy of suchI boroughs the privilege of pwssessintr an exclusive prison. That sueh an a(lmonition was fully warranted by the actual condition of many of these gaols, will not be dloubted by those who are in any degree ac- quainted with their presetnt state, some i(lea of which may be formedl by an account of a few gaols of this description, which we shall present to our readers. We shall begin with the prisons at Great Yarmouth. The gaol belonging to the borougb of Great Yarinouth is sitate in nearly the centre of the town, and is entirely enclosed by buildings. ILt is an ancient erection andl very irreazularly and inconveniently built. The front of the building facing the street i9 occupie(d by the Govermor's apartments and the Sessions Court. The entrance passage leads to the Governor's kitchen, through which a!l the prisoniers, as they are brought in, must pass: a door from thiR kitchen leads into a court-yard, the only one for male an d female felons and debtors. It is 30 feet 6 inches long, bv 19 feet 6 inchles wide, surrounded by highi walls an( build- ings. On one side of it is a pump and two privies, one o: which is separated for the debtors, the other flbr the mnale and female felons, next to which is the open receptacle for filth. On the opposite si(de of the yard is a srnall day-rootn, the only onie for the nmale and fetnale felonis. This day-room is enitered by descentenis g a ladder of ten stels, anid it is usuall occupied by men aq,l women. From this (lay-room a door opens into a long gloomy apartment about 20 feet by 12, aind a'out 16 feet high : on the fl v r is fixedl a lhng beam, haying seven iron rings fixe(d at difflrent intervals probably in former timcs fdr choning dlown prisoners, but it is state(d that tihey are not n ow used. Four cells, the only mnale felon cells, open into this apartnent, which is also ulled as a (lormitorv when these cells are fuill, thet bedt- dfing being laid on the floor. By rneans ot a can(le, the it- tenor may be setn. It is about seven feet by four and a- llf. and nine feet six inchts high, and is ventilated at the top .y means of an air pipe, and also by a small unrated win.low over the door. The beddingt is placed upon a L.iW shelf, where two, ald at times tlire'. prisoners are shut up in ea. l tl:h se cells must be very ofwensive. Thc whule of this flRor is undler-gromnd. There is but one sleeping cell for the retnal! flons, ope!ning fromR the day-room above-mentiolned, andl two steps still lower. It1 one room, appropriated to debtors, 21 feet by 12 eight or ten prisoners sometimes sleep at one time. Such is state d to be the re")ugnance of some of the debtors to mix with the .lonls, that they do niot leave their rooms to take exercise il the only yard b6longimg to the prison, which is commnon to hoth sexes, an(d to every description of criminals: there is no chaplain or eltapel attached to thie gaol. No prison clothing is provided, except in cases of extreme want. The nen-separition of the sexes is very disgraceful. The ses- sions take place twice only in the year; and thuls a femnale conrmitteil for trial mnay remain for nearly six montls, comptelled to associate day after lav with persons of both sexes, and of the most abandoned characters, and inay afterwards be acquitted. Some years ago, the scssions were held but once a year, and an instance of the injurious consequenecs of this delay in the gaol de- livery occurred in the ease of a girl 17 years of age, comn- toitte(l for stealing a trifling article, wlto was imprisone.l 12 months, and left the gaol with child. Hlowardl exposed the very imperfect state of this prison ; anti, in conse- quence, some alterations were at that time mnade, but little or notihing has been done since the period of his visit-a period of 40 years. YARaMOUTni BaiDnS-w t..-The entrance to the Brile- well is by a door from the workhouse-court, which opens into a small yard 24 feet hy 10. The pri:on consists of a stmall low brick buildling, the roof of whiclh inciniies froto 12 to 6 feet in heiglht from the ground. It contains four cells, each 10 feet by 8, and 8 feet high, constructedI of wood, having a gratedl win(low about twa fect square the winoows are not glazed: no filing is allowed. lTo the floor of the cell a log of wood is fixed, to which a chaini is attached of sufficient length to allow tlhe prisoner to be chaine(d down in b d. This chain is said to be used in cases of refractory conduct, by being fastened on the leg of the prisoner. The mnen and women who occupy these cells may converse with each other from their open windows all t(e clay without molestation; for the house which the keeper inhabits is not attacliedl to the prison, neither is there any apartment contiguous to it. Owing to the great inse- curity of the yards, the prisoners are generally kept cloise in their eells in the day as well as night. The followving re- mark of Howard's, therefore, is still applicable. lIe says. in liis observations on this prison, " There is a small court, to which the prisoners have no access: there is no privv, tubs being used in lieu thereof-" P.RSOAN DISCIPLINF.