Second report of the Surveyor-General of Prisons.

  • Great Britain. Surveyor-General of Prisons
Date:
1847
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Second report of the Surveyor-General of Prisons. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    appealed to, and in 1823 the complicated Acts which extended from the time of EdAvard III. were repealed by 4th Geo. IV., cap. 64, entitled, “ An Act for consolidating and amending “ the Laws relating to the building, repairing, and regulating “ of certain Gaols and Houses of Correction in England and “ Wales.” This Act contains many very valuable provisions, but, as far as discipline is concerned, Classification is the basis of it. In order to give effect to this system, many extensive and important prisons were erected, and an enormous expense was incurred. Specimens of construction adapted for it may be seen at Maidstone, Derby, Westminster, Chelmsford, Lei¬ cester, and in many other prisons erected about the same period. In these prisons the governor’s house is usually placed in the centre, with from six to eight small detached blocks of cells radiating from it. The average size of the cells is about 8 feet long by 5 feet broad, with a Day-room and Yard of proportionate size for each class. In some prisons the cells are placed back to back, and open externally into the yards; in others they are arranged on each side of a narrow passage, or the passage is divided by a wall having cells only on one side. The mtervals between the buildings are subdivided into yards for the different classes, and are thus exposed to the inspection of the governor or other officers in the central building; and as it was not contemplated to interfere with the unrestricted association of the prisoners, further than to repress riotous or disorderly conduct among them, the arrange¬ ments for maintaining a general inspection were Avell adapted for such purpose. But the greatest possible neglect, disorder, and irregularity, either on the part of officers or prisoners, might be going on in the Day-rooms and Cells, without any one being cognizant of it, unless additional superintendence were maintained in each distinct portion of the prison. When this system of discipline was brought into full operation, it soon became manifest that, to Avhatever extent the Classification might be carried, there was no moral standard by wliich it could be regulated, nor any limit short of individual separation that Avould secure any single pri¬ soner from contamination. The mischievous effects of thus bringing together pri¬ soners of different degrees of criminality and of every
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