prisoners have never been placed at the tread-wheel, nor have any prisoners before trial or conviction. The health of the prisoners is generally improved. The dietary is the same as before; the weekly cost per head amounts to 2s. 8 d. The introduction of the mill has considerably reduced the commitments in cases of bastardy, and the number of disorderly apprentices, and vagrants. The number of recommitments in 1823 was 26; those for felonies bear the heaviest proportion. The whole number of prisoners committed during the year was 703, and the greatest number in prison at one time was 148. The female prisoners are under the superintendence of a matron. There are six inferior male officers, including two men who attend the tread-mill. New rules for the government of this prison, founded on the Act of 4 George 4, have been printed, agreeably to an order of the court made at Epiphany sessions, 1824. The chaplain of this prison states that the improvement which the prisoners have made who attend the school, is worthy of remark: 196 male prisoners have been taught to read and write since the commencement of the school, out of which number, 139 could do neither when they came into prison. SUNDERLAND. May 1824. THERE is no prison here, excepting some cells for temporary confinement, which are very rarely used. When it is considered that this town and its immediate neighbourhood, contain a population of perhaps 35,000 inhabitants, it is a subject of regret, that there is no house of correction nearer than the city of Durham, a distance of about 13 miles. For the want of such an establishment at this place, there is reason to fear that the perpetrators of small crimes often escape without their desert; while the certainty of an immediate and adequate punishment would tend to prevent crime, and preserve good order in this populous district. ESSEX. CHELMSFORD. County Gaol and House of Correction. Oct. 1824. A COMMUNICATION has been made between these two prisons, (which were previously separate establishments, although adjoining to each other) in order to introduce the following classification, provisionally, until the new or subsidiary prison, now building on an improved plan, is completed. For male prisoners:— 1. Debtors, and for contempt of court. 2. Convicted felons. 3. Convicted misdemeanants and for petty offences. 5. Misdemeanants for trial, or for want of sureties. 7. King's evidence. For female prisoners: 1.' Debtors. 2. Convicted felons. 3. Felons for trial. 4. Convicted misdemeanants, and for petty offences, and misdemeanants for trial. 5. Vagrants. The gaol contains seven day-rooms and eight yards; the house of correction has six day-rooms, three work-rooms, and four yards: both prisons are defective of central inspection. The house of correction contains 62 separate sleeping-cells, but as many as 190 prisoners were in confinement at one time during the last year; the number of commitments during the year was 801, and of recommitments, 31. Prisoners sentenced to hard labour, work at the tread-mill, which has two wheels, and is employed in grinding wheat. Other prisoners in the house of correction are employed in weaving, carding and spinning wool, picking oakum, tailoring, and shoe-making: some of the misdemeanants have also been employed as labourers at the new prison. The profits of the mill labour, in the last year, were £158. 19s. 11d. No share of the earnings is allowed to the prisoners, but those who work on the wheels have an extra allowance of four ounces of bread, and two ounces of cheese daily; all prisoners who labour have a quart of beer daily, which is made in the prison. The weekly cost of food is 2s. 7d. per head; clothing is allowed, which costs £2. 14s. 1d. per head, but all the articles are manufactured in the prison. The chaplain reads prayers and preaches a sermon every Sunday, once in each prison; he also reads prayers on Thursdays. A school-master is appointed who attends daily, and a regular system of instruction is established in each prison. The prisoners are supplied with bibles and other suitable books. A matron and school-mistress, and a female turnkey, have also been engaged for the management of the women. Two prisoners were put in irons, during the last year, for attempts to escape. At the date of this Report, two insane persons were in confinement. They had been committed as vagrants. One is a female, who was committed in 1793, the other a man, committed in 1810: they have been kept in custody because their places of settlement are not known. The male officers are a governor, deputy governor, a miller, a weaver, and a master shoe-maker, five turnkeys, and four night watchmen. One of the divisions of the new prison is just completed, three others are in progress, and it is expected to be partially occupied in the ensuing spring.* *The plan of this new county gaol is upon the radiating principle; the wings are single buildings, the windows of which are on one side only. The airing-yards are, as usual, arranged between the radiating wings, and they are to have iron pallisades next the centre; but on the opposite side, instead of the iron pallisading so advantageously adopted in many prisons erected on this plan, the yards are to be bounded by a lofty brick wall, about 30 feet in height, which, passing from wing to wing, will form a complete enclosure to the interior. As the prison will be entirely surrounded with a good boundary wall, it is exceedingly to be regretted that the architect should introduce this inner wall, in the place of the usual iron pallisade, to the manifest prejudice of the airiness of the interior; and by which, one of the most valuable advantages of the radiating design will be sacrificed, viz. that of throwing open the interior of the prison to the salubrious effect of the free air, from whatever point of the compass it may come. It is probably unnecessary to add any thing further to prove the superior advantage which is gained, by an iron pallisade boundary to the yards, over any other, in prisons erected on the radiating principle; or that, if it be an object to obstruct the free circulation of air in the prisoners' yards, the most effectual means will be that of running up a lofty brick boundary, as above described. It will be proper to proceed, in the next place, to consider if any thing, or what, is gained in respect of security. On this point the reader is referred to the observations made, in a note at page 120, in last year's Appendix. The effect of an iron railing boundary is to extend the range of inspection, and thus continually and palpably to impress on the prisoner, when in his yard, that his boundary cannot possibly serve as a screen from his inspectors, should he ever think of surmounting or penetrating it: and with regard to security, experience has fully proved the efficiency of a well-constructed pallisade. But a brick-wall boundary, like that adopted in this prison, will always present the appearance of being a certain obstacle to inspection, from HALSTEAD. County House of Correction. May 1824. THIS prison, until last year, was divided into two wards, one for the women, and one for the men. That for the men, with additional yards, can now accommodate five classes; and other additional yards and buildings are in progress, to effect a similar improvement for the female department. A chapel has lately been fitted up. A chaplain officiates on the Sunday, and the prisoners are provided with bibles. Picking oakum was the late employment, but it is now confined to those who are unfit for the labour of the tread-mill. The quantity now picked is very small. A part of the earnings is reserved and given to prisoners upon their discharge, according to their industry and good behaviour. A tread-mill has been lately erected. The wheels are in two compartments, but one only is at present in use. The governor can see the prisoners on the tread-wheels, having a window in his apartment commanding a full view of them when at work. Nine men work at each wheel at a time, and three others are ready to supply the changes, which are frequent: ten hours daily are thus employed. The health of the prisoners is by no means injured by the exercise: a small addition to each man's daily allowance is made. The weekly cost of food is · 2s. 7 d. per head. The effects of this corrective discipline are very obvious. "I will never come here again" is the language of many of the prisoners. The non-compliance with orders of bastardy is the most common cause of re-commitment. In the last year eight re-commitments took place; the number of prisoners committed during the year, being 214, and the greatest number at one time, 37. that part of the prison where the prisoner knows he has most to fear from inspection, viz. the station of the officer in the centre; it will therefore hold out the stronger inducement for penetrating some part of this connected barrier, or making a descent from the ends of the wings. In fact, this was attempted about two years ago, in the new county-gaol at Salisbury, designed by the same architect, and which presents the same defect as that under notice (see page 116, in the Appendix to the Report of last year.) In this large prison at Salisbury, which, when built, provided but a very limited scale of classification, the court-yards are remarkably spacious, so that the evil pointed out in the plan in question, in respect of airiness, is in a great measure not experienced. The Committee sincerely hope that this subject will claim the immediate and earnest consideration of the magistrates, before it becomes too late to remedy the evil. It would be a subject of deep regret that in the erection of a new prison, which must occasion a considerable charge on the county, an error of this important nature should be fallen into. No clothing is allowed, excepting in cases of absolute necessity. One cause of the increase of crime in this district, is the want of employment at home, which is experienced by lads from 13 to 17 years of age. They are the last persons to find employment amongst the farmers, when there is a surplus of labourers; and petty thefts are the consequence. The female prisoners are placed under the care of a matron, the wife of the governor. COLCHESTER. County House of Correction. Jan. 1824. THIS prison is generally used for the custody of persons committed for further examination, and afterwards removed to the county prison at Chelmsford. The construction of the building does not admit of classification or inspection. There is a day-room and three sleeping-cells for the men, and a day-room and sleeping-room for the women, but only one airing-yard. In 1823, the number of commitments was 89, the greatest number of prisoners at one time 13, and the number of re-committals 15, being nearly 20 per cent. Picking oakum is the only employment, and this yields no profit. The allowance of food is the same as at the other houses of correction in this county. Divine service is performed twice a week by the chaplain. NEWPORT. County House of Correction. Jan. 1824. IMPROVEMENTS are stated to be in contemplation, the buildings being in a bad condition, and the ward occupied by the females in particular being very defective. The means of classification consist of two day-rooms, with an airing-yard to each, and seven separate sleeping-cells. Twenty-two prisoners have been in confinement at one time, and the number of committals during the year was sixty-three. Each prisoner is allowed one pound and a half of bread, and a quart of table-beer daily. No employment is carried on: the chaplain reads prayers twice a week, and preaches a sermon on Sundays. An insane man, committed as a vagrant, has been in confinement here upwards of two years. D |