attend and investigate the case. In case of emergency, however, the Superintendent may on his own responsibility impose the restraints provided by this rule for such period as may seem necessary, obtaining the presence of one of the Visiting Justices for the week as soon as possible. The order of such Justice, made on investigation of the case, shall indemnify the Superintendent.
279. If any male prisoner is guilty of any of the following offences, namely:—
1. Mutiny or open incitement to mutiny in the prison, or
2. Personal violence or attempted personal violence to any officer or servant of the prison, or
3. Aggravated or repeated assault on fellow-prisoner, or
4. Insulting or threatening language to any officer or prisoner, or
5. A third or subsequent refusal to labour, or
6. Wilfully or wantonly breaking the prison windows or destroying the prison property, or
7. When under punishment, wilfully making a disturbance tending to interrupt the order and discipline of the prison,
the Superintendent shall have power after taking evidence upon oath, affirmation or declaration to sentence such prisoner to corporal punishment, which shall not exceed twelve strokes with a birch, if the offender is an adult, or six strokes with a birch, if the offender is a juvenile.
280. (A) If any criminal prisoner is guilty of any offence against prison discipline as defined by rule 276, or (B) If any male prisoner is guilty of any offence specified in rule 279 or of any other act of gross misconduct or insubordination requiring to be suppressed by extraordinary means, it shall be lawful for the Superintendent, if he deems that the powers of punishment vested in him are insufficient, in conjunction with a Visiting Justice, after taking evidence upon oath, affirmation or declaration, to punish the offender in the case of (A) by close confinement in a partially darkened or light cell, on bread or rice and water, for a period not exceeding fourteen days, or by separate confinement, upon full diet and the authorized scale of penal or reduced penal diet in alternate weeks, for a period not exceeding six months, and in the case of (B) by corporal punishment not exceeding twenty strokes with a birch, if the offender is an adult, nor twelve strokes with a birch, if the offender is a juvenile.
281. Where the punishment to be inflicted is corporal punishment, a copy of the evidence taken under rules 279 and 280 shall be forwarded to the Governor and no corporal punishment, whether awarded by the Superintendent alone or by the Superintendent in conjunction with a Visiting Justice, shall be inflicted until written authority has been given by the Governor.
282. Corporal punishment shall be inflicted on the breech with a birch of a pattern approved by the Governor. Every male prisoner of sixteen years of age and upwards sentenced to twelve months' hard labour and under, but more than fourteen...
283. No dietary punishment shall be inflicted on any prisoner, nor shall he be placed at No. 2 Hard Labour or No. 1 Hard Labour, and the Surgeon shall certify in writing that such prisoner is in a fit condition of health to undergo such punishment.
284. No prisoner who shall be sentenced to solitary confinement by any Court shall be kept in such confinement more than seven days out of an interval of one day out.
EMPLOYMENT OF PRISONERS.
CLASSES OF LABOUR.
285. No. 1.—Hard Labour.
Every male prisoner of sixteen years of age and upwards sentenced to hard labour for twelve months shall, unless otherwise provided for by these regulations, be kept at Hard Labour for the first three months of his sentence. At the expiration of that term, he shall, if he has conducted himself fairly well, be placed at No. 2 Hard Labour until he has completed one half of his sentence, when, if his conduct has been good, he shall be placed at No. 3 Industrial Light Labour.
(1) Shot drill and stone carrying.
(2) Crank labour 12,500 revolutions daily, (12 lbs. test).
(3) Treadwheel.
Every male prisoner under the age of sixteen years sentenced to hard labour shall be kept at No. 2 Hard Labour for the first three months of his sentence, after which, if his conduct has been good, he shall be placed at No. 3 Industrial Light Labour.
No. 2.—Hard Labour.
(1) Employment on public works outside the prison.
(2) Crank labour 10,500 revolutions daily (12 lbs. test).
(3) Combinations of shot drill and oakum picking 2 lb.
(4) Combinations of stone carrying and oakum picking 2 lb.
(5) Combinations of crank labour revolutions (12 lbs. test), oakum picking 1 lb.
(6) Washing clothes in the prison, making coir matting and heavy coir work.
No. 3.—Industrial Light Labour.
(1) Ironing and mangling clothes.
(2) Making frame, coir, and rope.
(3) Carpentry, coopering, tinsmith's work, tailoring, cooking, cleaning, gardening, hospital attendance, &c.
(4) Oakum picking (1½ lbs.).
HARD LABOUR PRISONERS.
290. All hard labour prisoners who shall be selected by the Surgeon will be employed at No. 2 Hard Labour or No. 3 Industrial Light Labour, as he may direct.
291. European prisoners will not be employed at stone carrying, but will perform the combinations of shot drill and oakum picking instead.
292. If a male prisoner shall misconduct himself, the Superintendent may either keep him at No. 1 Hard Labour for any extra term not exceeding three months at any one time, or he may send him back from the second class or third class for the same term.
293. The hours of labour will not be less than six or more than ten daily, exclusive of meal times.
294. No work shall be done beyond what is necessary on Sunday, Good Friday, Christmas Day, or Chinese New Year's Day.
295. Jewish prisoners shall not be compelled to work on Saturdays if they claim exemption, and shall be kept in separate confinement on that day and Sunday. They may keep such festivals as may be from time to time allowed by the Governor.
296. Indian prisoners are not to be put to any labour which may really cause them loss of caste.
297. Prisoners sentenced to imprisonment with hard labour for two years and upwards shall pass the first six months of their imprisonment at No. 3 Industrial Labour in separate confinement and shall be employed as provided by rule 336. At the expiration of that term, he shall, if he has conducted himself fairly well, be placed at No. 2 Hard Labour.
298. When the prison accommodation permits, prisoners committed to prison for breaches of military discipline shall be kept separate from civil prisoners.
RULES FOR THE MANAGEMENT OF PRISONERS ON PUBLIC WORKS.
299. Prisoners employed on public works shall be divided into gangs not exceeding sixteen men, and each gang shall be known by a number.
300. Each gang shall be under the charge of a Warder armed with a short sword for his defence, and the gangs shall be under the charge of a Principal Warder armed with sword and revolver.
301. The prisoners in such gangs shall work in coupling chains of about twelve feet long, fastened by means of anklets and padlocks.
302. If the work is near the prison, the prisoners shall be marched in to their mid-day meal, but if at too great a distance from the prison, the meal shall be sent to them.
303. The gang prisoners will rest one hour for their mid-day meal, and knock off work in the afternoon so as to reach the prison in time for the evening meal, (nine hours daily, including marching in and out).
304. On Saturdays, the gang prisoners will work until 11 A.M.
305. Their mid-day meal will consist of 1¼ pints of rice congee thickened with cheap meat.
306. Any prisoner with a longer sentence than eight years may be kept at work within the prison until he has served one-third of such sentence.
307. In addition to the Principal Warder in charge of gang prisoners, and the Warders in direct charge of the gangs, three or four Guards shall be posted in convenient positions round the works, armed with loaded rifles, to prevent escapes.
308. The Senior Officer in charge shall be continually on the alert during the day, shall repeatedly visit the gangs in his charge, and ascertain that all is correct or otherwise. He shall take discreet measures to prevent the escape of prisoners, and to effect their recapture if they are successful in escaping. He shall carefully observe the officers under his charge, and report weekly to the Superintendent of the prison on their efficiency in the management of their parties. He shall enter in a book to be kept for the purpose the number of gangs, number of prisoners, and the names of the officers under his charge, with the name of the district where the work is carried on and the description thereof. He shall be responsible to the Director of Public Works for all the tools used by the prisoners. He shall on no account allow people to loiter near the prisoners while at work or to converse with the officers.
309. The Warders in charge of gangs shall at all times see to the safe custody of the prisoners.