+
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two days in each week; six women daily employed in cooking food for the prisoners a Glendairy, the Town Hall, and District "A;" and six women daily employed in washing clothes for the Town Hall and Glendairy Prisons.
At the Town Hall we find that 34 prisoners are daily employed about the dredge and ballast-yard; 12 in planting and keeping in order the grounds at Government House; and those remaining within the prison have been employed-when not occupied at shot. drill-in breaking stones for the repairs of the public roads; 4,000 loads of stone being broken yearly by th convicts in the prison-yard.
At the Juvenile Prison at the District Police Station "B," we find that the labour of the prisoners is altogether unremunerative.
If we estimate the value of adult convict labour to be 8d. per diem, we find that the value of cooking, baking, and washing at Glendairy amounts to 1381, 13s. 4d. per annum ; that of the convicts at the dredge and ballast-yard 346 16s.; the Government House *grounds 1221, 8s.; and the value of the stone broken for the highways is, 66l. 13s. 4d., at the low rate of 4d. a-load: making the total value of the work performed by the convicts to be 0741. 108. 8d.
III. We find that of the 177 male adult prisoners there are 13 brought up to trades, 10 of them being carpenters, and the remainder smiths, coopers, painters, masons, saddlers, shoemakers, tailors, butchers and bakers; there are 30 boatmen and sailors, 10 domestic servants, 86 labourers, and 2 clerks.
Of the female prisoners we find that about half of them are domestic servants, and washer-women, and the others labourers and hucksters.
We think it would not be difficult, out of such materials, and with the necessary instructions and superintendence, to carry out such industries as might prove to be most profitable; and in the first place to proceed with the erection of the buildings which would be necessary for localising all the adult criminals sentenced to hard labour, at Glendairy.
The only drawback to Glendairy, as a proper place for working all the prisoners together is, that it is overlooked by persons residing on the opposite hill-side; and if that hill-side could be purchased and added to the Prison grounds, it would secure, the necessary seclusion, and at the same time furnish an extensive quarry in which to employ the prisoners.
Some of the female prisoners may be employed in washing clothes for the General and Lock Hospitals, and those of them who are field-labourers can be employed in breaking stone for burning lime; in which occupation indeed some of them are already engaged at Glendairy,
We find that the Juvenile Prison at District Police Station "B," has completely failed as a reformatory, as it appears from the records of the prisons that nearly all the habitual criminals were first imprisoned there as boys, and the sum carned by the prisoners when employed on the neighbouring estates has not more than repaid the cost of extra superintendence. With reference to this establishment, we have had under our consideration the appended report of the Commissioners appointed to inquire into it, which has been referred to us by your Excellency. In that report the defects, as well of the buildings as of the system pursued there, are clearly pointed out, and very good suggestions offered for their alteration and improvement; and in the absence of a better institution, we recommend their adoption. But we are of opinion that a larger and better institution should be created-such as was contemplated under the " Industrial and Reformatory School Act of 1861 "-to be entirely under the direction and supervision of the Government. We believe that such an establishment, although not immediately or entirely self-supporting, would eventually more than repay its cost by diminishing crime, and would prove a valuable ally to industrial and other schools in improving the character of our population.
IV. We find from the information contained in the reports of the International Congress on Prisons, and of the application of convict labour in the prisons of Jamaica-- which have been submitted to us that criminal labour can be employed with success in such a way as to be wholly or partly remunerative; and we think that our criminals may also be employed with profit and advantage.
V. We are of opinion that measures should be taken without delay to commence building within the precincts of Glendairy, such ranges of cells as are required for the accommodation of all adult prisoners who are sentenced to hard labour; and that the prisoners themselves should he employed in this work under proper overseers and instruc- tors. Before this work can be completed, other means of profitable employment may suggest themselves to the officers and authorities who are charged with the direction of their labour.
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We recommend that the tread-wheel should be fitted for the performance of useful work, such as grinding corn or pumping water, so that the labour of the prisoners employed on it should not be wasted, even when it is used as a means of punishment.
Sir,
(Signed)
APPENDIX.
N. FODERINGHAM. JOHN SEALY.
W. H. JONES. CONRAD REEVES.
FREDK. WATTS.
T. KERR.
J. LAWRANCE GREAVES.
Public Buildings, April 18, 1874. IN compliance with your Excellency's instructions, conveyed in your Minute addressed to the Colonial. Secretary, of the 27th February last, we have taken into con- sideration the letter of the Visiting Justice of the Juvenile Asylum, and of the Chaplain to the Prisons, with reference to the discipline and employment of the boys confined at District Prison B., and have the honour to make the following recommendations with regard to the changes which we are of opinion should be introduced there in order to render the punishments more effectual, and the chances of reformation greater.
2nd. As your Excellency is aware, the system at present in operation is to endeavour to make the labour at District Prison B to some extent remunerative, and with this object the boys are sent out daily to work in the neighbouring sugar estates, but we find that their earnings during 1871, 72, and '73 average 411. a-year, whilst the cost of field superin tendence alone amounted to 371. 10s. per annum; so that, in a financial point of view, the question of carnings is hardly worth consideration, whilst the following are some of the serious objections to the continuance of the present system :—
1. The short time now allotted for daily instruction in school.
2. The absence of any marked change from ordinary to prison life.
3. The difficulty of enforcing proper discipline whilst employed in the field.
4. And the very trifling amount of work performed, which the boys themselves
must be aware is below the average of what would be expected of them as free agents.
Such being the case, we are of opinion that employment outside the walls is in reality no punishment, and we therefore recommend that in future the juvenile offenders committed to District Prison B should be employed wholly within the precincts of the Asylum.
3rd. Should this suggestion be approved of by your Excellency, we beg leave to submit the following scheme for the daily instruction and employment of these boys:-
Five hours for instruction in school.
Four hours for work-breaking stones and picking oakum. Two hours for meals.
Half-an-hour being allowed both morning and evening for cleaning and preparing
dormitories.
This arrangement contemplates their being locked up from 6 A.M. to 6 P.M., and with reference to school and work hours, we propose that the boys should be under the sole superintendence of the keeper, who should possess all the powers of a primary school. master for enforcing his authority; at present this officer has little or nothing to do during the seven hours the prisoners are absent from the Asylum, whilst, on the other hand, it is necessary under the present system to employ one or more superintendents to look after the juvenile offenders when at work in the field.
4. With reference to labour within the walls, recourse must be had either to breaking stone or to picking oakum. With regard to this latter punishment, we have ascertained that junk can be imported, freight included, at 221. per ton; but as there is very little demand for oakum in this Colony, this would not be likely to fetch more than 131. per ton after it has been picked; if, on the other hand, stone-breaking is resorted to, the Parochial authorities of St. George's Parish will no doubt enter into some such arrange- ment with regard to stone as at present obtains at the Town Hall Gaol. So strongly do we feel with regard to the inexpediency of sending the boys to work without the walls,
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