155
No. 2
90.
HONGKONG.
REPORT OF THE SUPERINTENDENT OF VICTORIA GAOL FOR 1889.
Presented to the Legislative Council, by Command of His Excellency the Officer Administering the Government.
No. 7.
GAOL SUPERINTENDENT'S OFFICE,
HONGKONG, 15th January, 1890.
COLONIAL SECRETARY,
I beg to forward herewith Annual Statistical Return of Victoria Gaol for the year 1889. 2. During eight months of the year I was detached from Gaol duty Major DEMPSTER acting as Superintendent for the time and carrying out the discipline of the Gaol on the same lines as hitherto.
3. There has been a small increase in the average number of Prisoners during the year, and a large proportionate increase in the number of Prison Offences, but the latter increase is due entirely to petty offences of which talking and short oakum picking are the principal. The number of violent and serious Prison Offences has continued to steadily decrease.
Subordinate Officers.
4. The conduct of the Subordinate Staff during the year has been very satisfactory. These Officers have generally been zealous and painstaking and judicious in their intercourse with Prisoners The frequent changes which hitherto occurred in the personnel of the Staff have diminished since the late increase of pay.
Prison Buildings.
5. These remain without change as formerly reported on. I can only repeat what I have fre- quently urged that in my opinion the introduction of the separate system is (especially in this Colony) essential to proper prison discipline. The ordinary Chinese Prisoner better fed, housed and clothed, with far less hard labour to do than an ordinary coolie finds nothing deterrent in our Prisons as long as he lives in association with companions day and night but I believe that under the separate system the Chinese Criminal classes would prefer even the hardships and cruelties of a Chinese prison to the long isolation of this system and that its introduction would be speedily followed by a considerable diminution in the number of Prisoners.
Prisoners and their Discipline.
6. During the year there have been 6,196 Prison Offences to an average of 581, giving a little over 10 offences for each Prisoner. The great proportion of Prison Offences are committed by short sentence Prisoners. Prisoners entitled to earn remission are generally careful to avoid Prison Offences. On the last day of the year of 292 Prisoners sentenced to 6 months' imprisonment or over, 90 have been clear of punishment for more than three months and of these 35 had been clear for upwards of a
year.
7. I append as usual Returns showing the number of the most common offences committed by Prisoners, similar Returns for the last three years being shown alongside for the sake of comparison.
Industrial Labour,
8. There has been an increase in the industrial earnings during the year and also an increase in the number of Prisoners taught trades but industrial work is greatly hampered by absolute want of space. The usual Returns are appended.
A. GORDON, Superintendent.