The Sun. — 1853-08-29 (London, England)

DISTINCTION BETWEEN SEPARATE AND SOLITARY CONFINEMENT.  The distinction between solitary and separate confinement, and some of the precautions to be adopted in the construction of prisons, and in the administration of the discipline, are laid down in the 2 and 3 Vic., cap. 56 ; and Pentonville prison was erected as a model of construction, said with a view to try an experiment on separate confinement in this country under the provisions of that act. Some Observations on this subject appear in my second the year 1843 to 1848, with a slight exception on mitt'eTtlicTep eing of the establishment, the prisoners adthe whole ntonnville were most carefully selected from pline are hijit.,.1.7.,_! convicts ; and the results of the disci,,„ tu!Atmanoed in the reports of commissioners. A results in Tort? hf convicts, as a cause of some adverse port for that year, owever, incidentally noticed in a reDevon, Chichester% ateria May, 1849, and signed by Earls Sir B. Brodie, and Dr. F owby, Sir W. Molesworth, The following are ext ergeson. " Since the date of ourrater;., • have no new circumstanceaart, dated May, 1848, we statements will show that the to iriatt.„°tice• The following operation, and that its effectsupotCtil'atleues in efficient menetalPriscoonnerBditiaoren hoifght Ihye satisfactory." regard to the health and With prisoners, however, they observe— " We are sorry that, as to the health and maw"l con di. of the convicts, we have to make a touch r. tory report than in any of the former years,. leas es.tiafae.di was established. since the prison " The daily average number of sick has indeed smaller than in the year 1847 ; there has not been a Jae le n n case of Asiatic cholerag " But there were six deaths from disease within the walls of the prison, and five convicts received pardons en account of their labouring under such disease as rendered a prolonged term of imprisonment dangerous. Of these last, four laboured under some form of scrofula, and one under an organic disease of the brain. "There was one case of .death from suicide; and it is of worthy of notice that this .is the first examplesuicide that has occurred in the p " The proportion of mortality,ris° including three-fifths of those who were pardoned on account of the state of their health, among the deaths is as 18.75 to 1,000. " There have been also five cases of insanity. • • "It may be difficult to offer a certain explanation of the great number of cases of death and of insanity, as compared with that of former years. We have, however, Feason to believe that, in the earlier years of this institution, the convicts sent here were selected from a large number, and that the selection was made with a more exclusive regard to their physical capacity for undergoing this species of _pimishment." They remark, in conclusion : " The longer the period s of eparation the more watchful must be the exercise of medical superintendence, to gua. againsts the failure of mental or physical health, wwillitirptieeonuleare oalways. be anticipated as a possible result and in pror,ortieinTam temperament and dispositions, Punishment?, o the keenness with which they feel their Subsequently to the dateoathis report, the functions of the board were transferred t I had the honour to be appointed new commission, of which O'Brien and Mr. Voules being associated chairman, Captain lt thus brought to a The experiment on prison discipline,iated with me. full operation from 1843 to 18, was 'which had been in close, and the accommodation la pe rendered available for the general purposes of tPhnescoonnywiaest Service. From circumstances we are all sufficiently familiar with the working of the discipline at l'entouriut, and it,