§ MR. CLAUDE HAYI beg to ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will take steps to ensure that women sent to prison as political offenders, whether in default of payment of fines or otherwise, shall receive the same treatment as men when imprisoned as political offenders.
§ THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR THE HOME DEPARTMENT (Mr. GLADSTONE,) Leeds, W.Except where there is an express direction in the statute (as in the case of contempt of Court or seditious libel) the treatment of a prisoner in prison depends entirely on the order of the Court. Whether offenders are sentenced to imprisonment in the first, in the second, or in the third division, no distinction in treatment is made between and women. I have no reason to think that the orders made by the Court in the case of women have in any instance been more severe than the orders made in similar circumstances on men offenders.
§ MR. T. M. HEALY (Louth, N.)asked whether the right hon. Gentleman was aware that when Dr. Jameson was put in gaol for a political offence he was accorded special treatment; and whether, as there was considerable feeling on this subject of the treatment of women in prison, he would, on account of their more highly-strung temperament, direct that they be more considerately dealt with.
§ MR. GLADSTONEThe case of Dr. Jameson was totally different. He was convicted.
§ MR. CLAUDE HAYWill not the right hon. Gentleman reconsider the position generally, with a view to taking steps in this matter?
§ MR. GLADSTONEI am afraid. I cannot reconsider the law. The matter is entirely in the discretion of the magistrates.
§ MR. CLAUDE HAYCannot the right hon. Gentleman issue a circular to magistrates or take some step of that nature?
§ MR. GLADSTONEThe matter must rest with the magistrate.
§ MR. CLAUDE HAYBut surely the right hon. Gentleman has discretionary power. He has used it before.
§ MR. GLADSTONENo, Sir, I have no discretionary power.
§ MR. CLAUDE HAYBut has not the right hon. Gentleman made representations to magistrates?
§ MR. SPEAKERReally, the hon. Member should give notice of some of these Questions.
§ MR. T. M. HEALYsubsequently asked the Home Secretary if he was aware that one of the ladies who had been imprisoned, Miss Logan, was the daughter of a former Member of the House of Commons, whom they all respected, and whether some means could not be taken to alleviate the undoubted distress caused to these educated women by the kind of treatment they were receiving.
§ MR. GLADSTONEI have really no power to interfere with the discretion of the magistrate. I must remind the hon. and learned Gentleman that these ladies are surety prisoners and can come out at any moment they like.
§ MR. WILLIAM REDMOND (Clare, E)Is it not fair and reasonable, to say the least, that these ladies should not be treated more harshly in prison than were Dr. Jameson and other men who plunged this country into war?
§ MR. CLAUDE HAYIs it not the fact that as a result of representations the right hon. Gentleman made to a certain magistrate on one occasion the ladies in prison did get better treatment?
§ MR. GLADSTONETwo years ago I did make representations to a certain magistrate and he was pleased to take notice of them. But it was his own action.
§ MR. T. M. HEALYIf a person went down and gave bail for these ladies would they be turned out?
§ MR. GLADSTONEIt might be a good thing to try.
§ MR. HAZLETON (Galway, N.)Will the right hon. Gentleman make similar representations in these cases to those which he made two years ago?
§ MR. LUPTON (Lincolnshire, Sleaford)Considering that these ladies are specially desirous of going to prison, would not to turn them out of prison be the best punishment?
§ [No Answer was returned.]