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prison of one of our long since contracted te room for the sick. with a small bedrexternal aperture sumen, and two chilher in this place, for e been in this gaol ent at one time.rison contains only This no yard for air The entrance to the women are placed is such only as to versation. There females, one of is, when, in consede was removed to sa chain to fasten cell, and which was ble lunatic. The

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ler the authority of the sive of that of the Mauntly not in the habit of other gaol, there is on the ith two small divisions, or oners to sleep in. There is oes not open to admit air. se: there is no privy, a tub s, as well as criminals, are are held only twice a year. eparated when male and ed for trial, and the upper : this is the case also are confined at one time. to another prison only, whose population conAt this place, the mayor rison. It is under the oms, or cells, in each arred. One of these >minated a dungeon, nd unhealthy abode se runs through it; 's a privy. There hat no prisoner is se, until he can st escape.

ys be confined ence they can also converse sometimes happens that and the apprentice boy, the and the servant girl, are indis The keeper and his officers the gaol, and of course, controlled. e allowed such food viction they

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are distinguished by a spirit of wisdom and benevolence. The rights of human nature have been recognized even in the persons of the most criminal, and no extent of guilt or wickedness has been considered to annul the obligations of religion and humanity.

Proceeding to the direct object of their Report, the Committee solicit attention to the recent progress of Prison Discipline, and to the present condition of the principal gaols throughout the kingdom. The Acts for the regulation of County Gaols have now been in full operation for a period of four years; and experience has shown the wisdom and practicability of the views on which they are founded. The Committee regret that it is not in their power to report favourably upon the state of most of the gaols under corporate jurisdictions, which indeed continue in a very disgraceful condition. These places of confinement do not come within the operation of the Prison laws. Having but small numbers committed to them, and being very limited in their means of classification, it was not deemed practicable to subject them generally to the same extended regulations that are necessary for the discipline of County Prisons. Of the several Borough Gaols, therefore, of which there are upwards of 160 in England and Wales, fifteen only were included in the schedule of the late Act. Thus above 140 prisons, and these of the worst description, still require to be regulated by law. On the passing of the Gaol Act, the Secretary of State for the Home Department expressed, in Parliament, his hope that in a year or two few of these jurisdictions would be found that had not built new gaols, or contracted with the county justices for the transfer of their prisoners; and he de

clared that, should neither object be accomplished at the expiration of that period, he should apply to Parliament for power to compel the authorities to adopt one of these measures. The friends to the improvement of Prison Discipline will, however, regret to learn that this union with counties has not been generally effected, not more than twenty borough prisons having thus been abolished. The gaols attached to corporate jurisdictions continue, therefore, to be the fruitful sources of vice and misery, debasing all who are confined within their walls, and disseminating through their respective communities the knowledge and practice of every species of criminality. This language will not appear too strong when the Committee describe the actual state of several of these prisons. In one gaol of this description, the rooms of the prisoners are so situated as to enable them to converse with the passengers in the street; and by means of this communication, spirituous liquors, and other articles usually prohibited in gaols, are obtained without difficulty. The prison consists of two wards, and in that for debtors, the males and females must associate together. In the felons' ward, all descriptions of criminals congregate during the day, or they must be confined to their sleeping-rooms, whence they can also converse with persons in the street. It sometimes happens that the hardened offender and the apprentice boy, the common prostitute and the servant girl, are indiscriminately associated. The keeper and his officers reside at a distance from the gaol, and of course, when thus absent, the prisoners are uncontrolled. Felons and misdemeanants before trial are allowed fourpence per day, with which they purchase such food and other articles as they please. After conviction they

are permitted to receive, from their friends, food, which is brought to them at the regular hours of breakfast, dinner, and supper. In the debtors' day-room there is a privy, which is common to both males and females. For the felons there is no yard or privy-tubs being used as a substitute for the latter.-In the prison of one of our principal cities, four persons not long since contracted the gaol fever. There is no separate room for the sick. The women have but one day-room, with a small bedchamber in which there is no window or external aperture for the admission of air; and yet five women, and two children, are stated to have slept together in this place, for the space of three months. There have been in this gaol upwards of thirty persons in confinement at one time.In a third instance of a borough, the prison contains only two cells, about ten feet square. There is no yard for air or exercise, nor is there any privy. The entrance to the second cell is through the first: the women are placed in the inner cell, while the separation is such only as to admit of the utmost facility of conversation. There were, not long since, in this gaol, seven females, one of whom was imprisoned seventeen weeks, when, in consequence of having a typhus fever, she was removed to the workhouse infirmary. There is a chain to fasten prisoners to the floor in the outer cell, and which was lately used in the case of a miserable lunatic. The food is supplied from the work house.

The improvements intended to have been carried into effect in another borough prison, were immediately abandoned on its being known that the gaol was not included in the late Acts. Here also the prisoners have uninterrupted facility of communication with the public street. Irons are used to

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