Book contents
- Frontmatter
- PREFACE
- AN INQUIRY, &c
- The Borough Compter
- Tothill Fields
- St. Albans
- Guildford
- An Inquiry, Whether Crime and Misery Are Produced or Prevented, by Our Present System of Prison Discipline
- PART II
- Bury Jail, AND House of Correction
- The Maison de Force, at Ghent
- Prison of Philadelphia
- Penitentiary, Millbank
- Proceedings of the Ladies' Committee, at Newgate
- Conclusion
Bury Jail, AND House of Correction
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 February 2012
- Frontmatter
- PREFACE
- AN INQUIRY, &c
- The Borough Compter
- Tothill Fields
- St. Albans
- Guildford
- An Inquiry, Whether Crime and Misery Are Produced or Prevented, by Our Present System of Prison Discipline
- PART II
- Bury Jail, AND House of Correction
- The Maison de Force, at Ghent
- Prison of Philadelphia
- Penitentiary, Millbank
- Proceedings of the Ladies' Committee, at Newgate
- Conclusion
Summary
This Jail is the best constructed, of any that I have seen in England, the regulations by which it is governed are exceedingly wise and humane; and it possesses the grand requisite of a Governor, who discharges his duty with equal zeal and fidelity.
The nature of the building will be easily understood. An external wall surrounds the whole: the Governor's house is in the center; from its windows every yard is visible, and it is hardly possible, that any breach of the rules can be practised without being observed, either by himself or some one of his family. He told me that the experience of twenty years as a jailer, had taught him that the main points for prison discipline, for the security, morals, and health of the prisoners, are:–
Classification–Employment–and Cleanliness.
Classification is carried to almost its greatest limit. There is a separate building and yard, for prisoners of the following descriptions:–
Males.
No. 1 and 2. Debtors.
3. King's Evidence, when there are any; and occasionally other prisoners.
4. Convicted of misdemeanors, and small offences.
5. Transports, and convicted of atrocious felonies.
6. Untried for atrocious offences.
7. Untried for small offences.
Females.
8. Debtors.
9. For trial.
10. Convicted of misdemeanors.
11. Convicted of felonies.
There is a well merited discretion given to the Governor, to alter these rules, in the following manner:–a notorious thief, who has before been imprisoned, may be apprehended for a petty offence.
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- An Inquiry, whether Crime and Misery are Produced or Prevented, by our Present System of Prison Discipline , pp. 74 - 82Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2009First published in: 1818