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The ventilation of the prison is not good, and cannot be made so when the building is sď. surrounded. The heat has not been registered, but the Superintendent and doctor describe it as excessive.
There are fixed guard beds on the male side, and the women sleep on the floor. There is no hospital; any case of sickness is treated in the ordinary associated wards.
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The doctor visits the prison every day. Twelve.deaths have occurred within the last five years, the principal causes of death being diarrhoea and dysentery.
The separation of prisoners is not carried out, and could not be done, or even be partially attempted here,
Shot-drill is performed as penal labour within the walls; there is no treadmill or crank.
The remunerative labour consists of stone-breaking, coir-breaking, and road-mending, by contracts with the Government and parochial boards.
The prisoners here were also employed until lately in working on estates, cleaning the churchyard and latrines of the constabulary station, but this is now discontinued.
The women are employed in washing the prisoners' clothes and beating coir.
The sub-officers go round twice in the night at 12 and 3, and the Superintendent once a week.
There are no lights except the patrol lantern.
The staff of officers attached to the prison consists of:--
The Superintendent, who receives 1207. a-year, with quarters, &c.
A taskmaster, who is paid 251. per annum.
Three warders, who are paid 207. per annum each; and a matron, who gets 251., with quarters, &c. The sub-officers in this prison are also provided with quarters, which are built against the prison wall on the outside.
Twelve prisoners have escaped from the outside of this prison during the last five years,
The books are under the charge of the Superintendent, who makes the Returns, &c., required by the Inspector of Prisons.
There is no available land adjoining this prison which could be inclosed to increase the accommodation.
4. Mandeville District Prison.
This prison is healthily, situated on one side of the market-place of the little town of Mande- ville. There is, a large open space, both at the front and back of the prison. It is built on a limestone hill, in which no water lodges, and the drainage is good. The whole prison is surrounded by a stone wall 16 feet high. The buildings are in good order, and kept scrupulously clean, and as well ventilated as the construction of the place almits of. On the ground floor of the prison there are four associated wards on the male sile, and four punishment cells, besides store rooms and officers' quarters. Upstairs there are two rooms used for chapel and hospital, which are not at all adapted for the purpose; a debtor's room, and two more rooms for officers. On the female side there are two wards, one above the other. Both these rooms are quite insufficient for their purpose. The ground floor of the prison, with the exception of two rooms, is built of stone, the upper story of wood; the roofs are shingled.
In the associated wards there are guard beds, on inclined wooden platforms, running along the whole length of the room, and each prisoner is furnished with a rug. The hospital is supplied with iron camp bedsteads with mattresses and rugs. There is no regular nurse. One of the most intelli-
gent prisoners is employed for the purpose. The earth system is in use throughout the prison, and seems to be perfectly carried out, and is in no way offensive.
The water supply, as in the case throughout the parish of Manchester, is derived from rain-water collected in tanks; it is described by the surgeon as plentiful and excellent.
There are no baths or lavatories; there are large tubs in which the prisoners are bathed every Sunday; they are made to wash their faces and hands every morning. Every prisoner is well bathed when he comes in. We have no means of ascertaining the average temperature; there is no thermo- meter in the prison.
Separation is not and cannot be enforced with the present buildings. Unconvicted male prisoners are locked up by themselves at night, and during the day occupy a yard separated from the other prisoners by a palisade. There is only one yard for female prisoners of every class.. There is no com- munication between the male and female prisoners.
Shot-drill is in use, and the Superintendent thinks the effect good; there is no crank or wheel. In the interval of shot-drill the prisoners are employed in breaking stones and grinding corn in hand mills. The women are employed in washing clothes or breaking stones. Before shot-drill was introduced the prison took contracts for agricultural labour from private persons. Since shot-trill was introduced these contracts have been discontinued, but the prisoners still work on the main and parochial roads. Ten miles of the former are kept in order by their labour, for which the prison is credited with 150% per annum, The shot-drill is never neglected for this purpose.
The officers of the prison consist of the Superintendent, whose salary is 1401. per annum, with a house, wood, water, and inedical attendance.
A matron, with a salary of 207, a-year and similar privileges. Three taskmasters, at 307, a-year; and a turnkey at 257. a-year. Of these sub-ollicers, one of these officers resides within the prison walls. One of the sab-officers is always on duty at night, and is relieved every three hours. He patrols the prison at uncertain intervals with a lamp, but does not enter the warls. During the last five years four prisoners have been flagged for offences against prison discipline; ninety-three sentenced to solitary confinement, generally for a period not exceeding three days; and twenty-four put in irons.
The number of escapes during the last five years has been sixteen, all of which have taken place
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from the outside of the prison. Thirteen of the prisoners have been recaptured. During the year 1872 no escape took place.
During the last five years the number of committals to the prison has been 1,260, and the number of deaths 32, giving an average rate of 2.53 per cent.
The discipline of the prison seems to us to reflect considerable credit on the Superintendent, who has held the post for eighteen years, and appears to be a painstaking and excellent officer. The prison, however, which was originally constructed for the parish of Manchester alone, now receives prisoners from St. Elizabeth and Clarendon as well. It is very much overcrowded; at the time of our inspection no less than ninety-eight prisoners were confined there, although, in the surgeon's opinion, it is not adapted for more than forty, even under the associated system. The present yards are far too small, being, in fact, little more than passages; but a piece of ground adjoining the walls has recently been purchased by Government, which will enable the area of the prison to be enlarged by 6,059 square It is to be hoped that advantage will be taken of this to erect some new ranges of cells, which, with some alteration in the old buildings, will enable the system of separation to be carried out hite integrity.
feet.
5. St. Catherine District Prison.
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This prison is situated in Spanish Town, and is built of stone and brick. The drainage is good, conveyed by a tile pipe into the main sewer of the town.
This prison is generally overcrowded, and increased cell accommodation is greatly required. A large piece of ground was inclosed in 1871 by a high substantial brick wall, which has greatly improved the prison yard. In one corner a brick building has been erected for the reception of lepers, with two cells. There is still ample space in this yard to erect a range of cells and provide what is very necessary, viz, increased sleeping accommodation. When this prison is very crowded the Superin- tendent has the power to send prisoners to sleep at the Middlesex and Surrey County Gaol, which is also situated in Spanish Town, about a quarter of a mile from the district prison. There is a small hospital on the male side, in which the matron attends on the patients to give them the medicine prescribed. There are very often European sailors in this prison, who are sent from Kingston > for breaches of discipline, &c., for short terms of imprisonment, and we think a good hospital is much required.
The female side is not so crowded, but there is only one ward, where the sick, if any, are confined with the rest of the prisoners.
The water supply is abundant, as there are good waterworks in the town, and the Rio Cobre runs alose by. There are no baths on the female side, but two good stone baths on the male side, where the prisoners wash twice a week.
The ventilation of the wards and cells is good. The temperature of the prison is not known, as thermometers are not provided.
There is a patrol on duty from 8 PM. till 5 am. The officer on duty walks round every three hours and tries the doors, &c., but does not go into the wards. He carries a lantern; the only other light is an oil lamp outside the officers' quarters in the male prisoners' yard.
Separation is not enforted, and could not be, as the prison is too small.
Judgment debtors sleep in the hospital, whether they are sick in it or not. The Superintendent keeps prisoners convicted for a second time apart from those convicted for the first offence as far as practicable.
The male prisoners are put to shot-drill as penal labour according to the prescribed regulations. The remunerative labour in this prison consists of quarrying stone, repairing roads in and out of the town, and breaking stones. The rate of pay received is 8d. per diem. Contracts are held to repair the main and parochial roads.
The females are employed in washing the clothes of the prisoners and breaking stones. There are guard beds in all the wards and cells, and each prisoner has a rug.
The warders, of whom there are six, get 252 each a-year; the taskmaster, 361; and the matron, 301.
The Superintendent, whose salary is 160%, the matron and the taskmaster, are also provided with quarters, &c. The warders live outside, but there is a guard room for the patrol. The most prevalent diseases are diarrhes, dysentery, and the ordinary fever. The deaths in the last five years have been as follows:-
1868
1869
1870
1871
1872
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12
17 ...
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8
3
Coroners' inquests are always hold. The hospital is too small and is badly situated, but it was proposed when the Commissioners were at the prison to open a hospital for this prison in the Middlesex and Surrey County Gaol.
The books are kept by the Superintendent, and are the same as those in all the other district prisons.
Increased cell accommodation is much required.
6. Falmouth District Prison and Cornwall County Gaol
These institutions are within the same enclosure, although perfectly soparated by an interior wall and under the same manageniunt, The prison is situated near the town of Falmouth, by the sea side,
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PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE
Reference :-
C.O. 885
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PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON
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