HL Deb 14 March 1856 vol 141 cc123-7
THE EARL OF SHAFTESBURY,

in rising to bring under the attention of the House the Twentieth Report of the Inspectors of Prisons, said, that in these days, when so much stir was being made about the reformation of criminals, their Lordships were bound to take all possible care that our prisons and houses of correction were made as effective as possible for the reform of the persons detained in them. If, however, many of the prisons throughout the country were to continue in the state in which they now were, not only with respect to sanitary considerations, but likewise as to moral considerations, prisoners would issue forth from them in worse bodily health and in a more degraded condition morally than they were when they entered within their walls. It would, however, be found that, in many of these institutions, not only were the prisoners injured in health by the defective prison arrangements, but that they were greatly demoralised by their confinement. The first Report with which he would trouble their Lordships, was the Report of a most intelligent inspector, Mr. Perry, on the county gaol and house of correction at Brecon. Mr. Perry said— No steps whatever have been taken to remedy the demoralising evils, or to avoid the habitual violations of the law which have been so often alluded to in my reports as occurring in this prison from the very inadequate cell accommodation. There is not a single night in the year in which a large number of male prisoners are not lodged two in a cell, and even two in a bed, and this, too, in defiance of repeated remonstrances from Secretaries of State. The inspector then went to Carnarvon, and said of the county gaol and house of correction there— No change whatever having been made in this ill-constructed prison since the date of the last report, the numerous evils complained of in former reports remain in full force. Two male prisoners are constantly put in cells not large enough or airy enough for one; the palliation of this violation of the law being, that it would be impossible to put a third prisoner into them. The debtors still occupy a day-room, so placed as to admit of their obtaining opportunities of seeing and conversing with the female prisoners and officers. The next county gaol was that at Cardiff— As the number of cells for male prisoners is only thirty, and those for females twenty-five, and as the number of prisoners in confinement at one time has amounted to eighty-five males and forty-one females, and even the average daily number to fifty-five males and twenty-eight females, nothing need be added to prove the inadequacy of the accommodation to meet the continual demand for room. The inspector added— The prisoners were all associated together in the most demoralising manner, without any kind of employment; the law, which requires that prisoners not sentenced to hard labour shall be provided with labour not severe, being entirely disregarded, as well as that which requires that untried prisoners should be employed if they desire it. The untried prisoners being questioned by me, several of them declared that they would rather be employed than idle, but that nothing was given them to do. Another manner in which the provisions of the law are disregarded in this prison is in the putting together of untried and convicted prisoners. The excuse alleged for this is the want of room. This may sometimes be alleged with more reason than on the day of my visit, when I pointed out how it might easily have been avoided. There could be no hardship greater upon innocent persons, and no practice more demoralising than putting together the tried and untried prisoners. [A noble LORD: It is against the law.] The inspector reported to that effect, but no attention was paid to his representations. Then, if he referred to New Radnor, he found the following remarks upon the borough gaol and house of correction at that place— This gaol was in a very filthy condition at the time of my last inspection, which I was the more sorry to see as the keeper had promised me at my previous visit that it should never again be in the dirty state I then witnessed. There were no prisoners in confinement, but two donkeys and a large hog were occupying the airing yard, which afforded the plainest proof that it was their ordidinary place of residence, although it was intimated to me that they had only been there for a few minutes. One of the two cells was used as a store-room for onions and all kinds of lumber. The cells were very dirty, the iron bedsteads in a ruinous state from rust and neglect, and the scanty allowance of bedding was so filthy and neglected that a cloud of dust was raised in moving it for my inspection. Having been constantly assured by the keeper that no prisoner is ever retained in this prison after he has been before a magistrate, but that all are immediately, removed to Presteign—a statement which seemed to be confirmed by the annual returns made to me, in which the number of prisoners committed for trial and of those summarily convicted is stated as nil—I have been much surprised to learn from other sources of information that cases have occurred in the last year of persons summarily convicted having been retained there during an imprisonment of fourteen days, and that during the time comprehended in returns of the kind alluded to one prisoner at least has been there for two months. So much for Wales. The inspector then passed to the city of Exeter, where he reported as follows, relative to the city gaol arid house of correction there— The prisoners, on being questioned, made no complaints. None of them were employed in any manner, with the exception of one man who was working at a hard-labour crank, but all were herded together, without any supervision, in small day-rooms, as described in every report upon this prison for many years past. In addition to the ordinary objections to this inappropriate prison, it may be mentioned that, the numbers confined being unusually high at the time of my visit, sleeping cells intended for only one prisoner contained no less than four. If the object and end of imprisonment were to foster and encourage the growth of crime, it would be difficult to invent a more efficacious system than that which prevails in this prison, and this within a few minutes' walk of one of the best prisons in the kingdom—the Devon County Gaol—in which there is sufficient room to receive all the prisoners of the borough, and where the appliances of a wholesome discipline might be extended to them, in place of the demoralising influences to which they are now exposed. As there is no prospect of this prison being rebuilt, and as the rebuilding of it would only involve a useless waste of money, when the prisoners could be better and more cheaply accommodated at the county gaol, it is my duty to repeat the recommendation so often made before, that terms should be made with the county magistrates for the reception there of the borough prisoners. If the object were to foster and encourage the growth of crime it could scarcely be accomplished with greater certainty. He would not detain their Lordships by the reports upon the borough gaols of Bradninch and Dartmouth, and the last report he would advert to referred to that abomination the county gaol of Aberystwith. Many complaints had been made of its unfitness for a gaol, and special representations had been made to the Secretary of State, but these representations and the repeated remarks of the Recorder were quite disregarded. Notwithstanding its deficiencies, however, prisoners were detained in it for a great length of time, instead of being sent, as they should be, to the county gaol of Cardigan. One case had occurred in which a prisoner had remained in this pound for twelve months. The inspector said— At the time of my last inspection, on the 13th of October, the only person in confinement was Sophia Jones, a mad woman, put there for safe custody, on account of her insanity, without any warrant or order of court charging her with the commission of any offence. Upon inquiry I found that this was not the only instance of the kind, two other cases having occurred since my last inspection of the prison in which it had been used by the borough as a lunatic asylum. He could only bring these facts before their Lordships in the hope that the subject might attract the attention of the Secretary of State for the Home Department, through whose great authority and influence a remedy for such abuses might be speedily brought about. If he were in order, he should move— That an humble Address he presented to Her Majesty for Copy of any Communication between the Secretary of State for the Home Department and the Inspectors of Prisons with respect to the Twentieth Report of the Inspectors of Prisons.

EARL GRANVILLE

said, that the House must be very much obliged to the noble Earl for having directed its attention to an object of so much importance. He was afraid, however, that in hardly any of these cafes had the Secretary of State for the Home Department the power of applying a remedy. He had no doubt, however, that the right hon. Gentleman would make the strongest appeal to the justices, and that he would exercise, as far as possible, the limited degree of power which he possessed to remedy these abuses. He knew that it was his right hon. Friend's intention to bring these complaints before the proper authority, but he was afraid the answer to any Motion for correspondence would be nil, since the Report had only been presented a few days ago. His noble Friend was doing a great public service by bringing his attention to bear upon these cases where the local authorities neglected their duty. If objections were felt, and perhaps properly felt, to giving greater power to a centralised authority, the only remedy was to give the greatest publicity to those cases where the local authorities failed to perform their duty.

THE EARL OF DEVON

made a few observations, which were inaudible.

LORD PANMURE

said, that they ought to feel grateful to the noble Earl for bringing the subject under their consideration. He wished, however, to observe that they managed these matters in Scotland much better than in England; the machinery they had there was better than here. In Scotland they had not only inspectors of Prisons, but in every county there was a local board responsible to a central board at Edinburgh; which board was again responsible to the Secretary of State, to whom a final power was given by the Legislature. The result of this arrangement was, that the prisons in Scotland, from being previously in the worst possible state, were now in a much more improved state than in England.

Motion, by leave of the House, withdrawn.