§ MR. PICKERSGILLI beg to ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether his attention has been drawn to the fact that, during the year ended 31st March, 1897, the number of cases of corporal punishment inflicted in Parkhurst Prison (where weak-minded prisoners are congregated) was considerably greater in proportion to the prison population than either at, Dartmoor or at Portland; will he state what were the offences in respect of which corporal punishment was inflicted at Parkhurst; who was the director by whose order these sentences were imposed; and was any individual prisoner at Parkhurst corporally punished more than once?
§ THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR THE HOME DEPARTMENTIt is true that for that particular year the proportion was higher, but in the following year, when there were only two cases, it was only a little higher than at Dartmoor, and was lower than at Portland. The offence in four cases was gross insubordination, in the remaining two assault. Two prisoners were corporally punished twice. I may add that none of the men punished were weak-minded, and in only one case was the cat used.