No. 474.
(A. in Enclosure 2.)
Acting Colonial Secretary to Surveyor General.
COLONIAL SECRETARY'S OFFICE,
HONGKONG, 1st April. 1886.
SIR,
I am directed by the Officer Administering the Government to invite you to act as Chairman of a Board consisting of the Superintendent of the Gaol, the Honourable WM. KESWICK, and yourself for the purpose of reporting on the feasibility of establish- ing a temporary prison, pending the erection of the proposed new Gaol.
I am to add that His Excellency will be glad to have the opinion of the Board on the cost of a temporary prison, and on any other matter connected therewith, which the Board may consider necessary to include in their report.
The Honourable J. M. PRICE,
Surveyor General,
I have, &c.,
FREDERICK STEWART,
Acting Colonial Secretary.
(B. in Enclosure 2.)
REPORT.
HONGKONG, 7th April. 1886.
1. The Board constituted under the Honourable Colonial Secretary's letter, No. 474, of the 1st instant, have duly met at Victoria Gaol and taken into consideration the statistics supplied by the Superintendent.
From these statistics it appears that while there are as many as 640 prisoners in the associated cells, the aggregate space of the latter does not amount to more than 125,791 cubic feet or an average of 195 cubic feet per prisoner.
2. On the other hand however, it must be mentioned that in nearly all the cells there are open windows and cross ventilation.
3. Considering the necessary delay which must take place in dealing with the large and important question of extra prison accommodation in connexion with the punish- ment of crime, the Board are of opinion that pending a settlement of this question the first efforts of Government should be directed to reducing, as far possible, the number of those inmates of the Gaol that do not belong, properly speaking, to the criminal classes. 4. It was found from the statement of the Superintendent that there were on the 6th instant 46 prisoners for want of finding surety. 39 prisoners for gambling and 12 prisoners for breaches of the Opium Ordinance.
5. Of the first 46 it is not impossible that a large proportion may be men against whose characters nothing can be found, while as to the 39 gamblers it is the opinion of the Board that whatever may be the evils from gambling, they cannot constitute as grave a danger as that which attends the overcrowding of the Gaol.
In respect of the prisoners for breaches of the Opium Ordinance, the Board are aware that it is necessary to assist the Opium Farmer in the protection of his rights, but they consider it might be possible to award other punishments besides imprison- ment for infractions of the monopoly.
6. The Board consider therefore that in the present overcrowded condition of the Gaol, it would be desirable to liberate without any delay as many as possible of these three classes of prisoners and that it would be desirable to recommend the Magistrates to refrain, except in the case of known bad characters, from committing persons to prison merely for want of security, also it might be indicated to the Magistrates to punish infractions of the Opium Ordinance by fine, in lieu of by imprisonment, while to the Police, instructions might be given to mitigate, for a time, the severity of their raids on gamblers.
7. The Board further recommend that early arrangements should be made for the permanent transfer of the youthful prisoners in the Gaol to the Reformatory at West Point, and they are also of opinion that imprisonment for debt now abolished in every part of the British Empire except Hongkong, should receive the attention of the Government on various grounds, the least of which would be that it would empty the Debtors' Ward at the Gaol and render the space available for another class of prisoners.
151