THE LORD MAYOR OF DUBLIN (Mr. SEXTON)(for Mr. CONYBEARE) (Cornwall, Camborne) (Belfast, W.)asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department, Whether his attention has been drawn to the case of a little boy 12 years of age who, having been sentenced to 14 days' imprisonment and three years in a reformatory, was after the expiry of his imprisonment taken handcuffed by rail to the reformatory at Sandbach, in Cheshire, on Friday the 7th instant; whether there were any special circumstances requiring such harsh treatment; whether it is the usual practice to handcuff children when being conveyed from prison to reformatory schools; whether it is in any case justifiable to handcuff persons after they have worked out their sentence in prison; and, whether he will inquire into the matter?
§ THE SECRETARY OF STATE (Mr. MATTHEWS) (Birmingham, E.)I have made inquiry into this matter. Boys are usually removed to a reformatory on the last day of their imprisonment. It is not usual to handcuff them, unless that precaution is necessary to prevent an escape. In this case the Governor of the Derby Prison had reason to fear an attempt at escape, and accordingly a handcuff was placed on one of the boy's wrists, the other cuff being held by the warder, an old and not very active man, in whose charge he was. The handcuff was removed after changing trains at Crewe. The boy was by law in the custody of the warder until he was 648 lodged in the reformatory, and there was nothing illegal in the precaution taken.
§ MR. CHILDERS (Edinburgh, S.)asked whether it was at all justifiable to handcuff children when being conveyed from prison to reformatory schools?
§ MR. MATTHEWSsaid, that must entirely depend on the reasonableness of the case. In the case in question the boy had manifested the greatest unwillingness to go to a reformatory, and his conduct had not been subordinate when in prison. As a matter of fact, the boy bolted between the warder's legs when the latter was taking out his railway ticket.