PRISON DISCIPLINE IN THE COLONIES.

Colonist, Volume XVI, Issue 1657, 5 August 1873, Page 4

PRISON DISCIPLINE IN THE COLONIES.

A. BEMABEABiB letter appears in the Melbourne Telegraph from the pen of ft late prisoner, who appears to have been but recently discharged. The subjecb of the letter is prison discipline, and the writer, from his point of view, treats of the nature, and causes of crime, and then goes on to deal with I the present system of punishing the criminal. This, he insists, is a mistaken one, characterising it as a Bi'mple attempt to degrade the man, not only in his own eyes, but in the general estimation. He says:— "It is impossible to conceive of a more unphilosophioal notion than that of reforming people by degrading them ;. yet so far as I could see, this is the leading idea of penal discipline. From the time that a man is apprehended, to the day of his discharge from prison, the better instincts of his nature are readily suppressed, his self-resppct is crushed, all honorable ambition is discouraged no inducement his held out to praolice industry or virtue; and yet there are people so simple bs to complain of the impos^'bility of reforming criminals. Why, sir, if men do reform, it is in spite of the debasing treatment undergone while in prison, and in spile, too, of a hostile public feeling whidh is perfectly appalling." He charges society not only with the mistake but with the crime of treating men in prison as brutes —as dangerous animals. Some of his remarks about the absence of proper classification are forcible as well as truthful. No doubt this is one of the worst features of criminal treatment. He remarks :—" I suppose that everybody is aware that there is hardly any attempt at classification of prisoners, and th-it consequently an uniform system of treatment prevails for every prisoner and for every sort of crime. Boys and men are indiscriminately herded together. Men who have been convicted of embezzlement or forgery, thieves and murderers, persons guilty of bestiality, rape, or perjury, vagrants, and burglars, accidental sinners, and hardened criminals, innocent and guilty—all alike are mixed up together, and meet with the same treatment, and as a consequence it follows that while to the man who has graduated in crime, life in prison may be endurable, enough, to others not £0 experienced it is altogether intolerable;" and he inveighs strongly against the exposure of mere boys in prison to the influence of the hardened criminal. There is probably much truth in his strictures on another feature of prison discipline, and one which has been a fruitful topic of discussion ior years pist —namely, the want of a profitable utilisation of the prisoners' labor. He says that while workshops, material, and overseers are provided, the cultivation of industrious habits among the men is treated os of minor importance. He insists that no sufficient encouragement is given to those who would be industrious, as the hard workers and the idle receive the same treatment. The rule, therefore of prison life—a sort of axiom among the men—is to be " civil and lazy." Here is another paragraph on this part of tha subject: — " Thera is no reason whatever why prison labor should not be as productive as free labor. There may be difficulties of detail in providing suitable and profitable occupation for men subject to the condition of safe custody, but these difficulties could be easily overcome, and a system adopted by which a man | would be benefited in proportion to the amount of woi-k done. Adopt the principle of industry as the basis of reformation as it is in nature, apply this principle thoroughly to prison life, make the comfort of the men while detained in custody, and the period of their ultimate liberation dependent on the amount of work actually none, and the problem is solved how best to neutralise the evils of a criminal population. Nay, more, by the adoption of this simple principle crime might be utilised, and the criminal made not only to provide for his own support and that of his I family, but to assist also in providing for the wants of the poor and destitute.'' This " voice from a prison " is evidently deserving of thoughtful attention on the part of those who desire to promote gaol reforms.