52
53
Sir,
Inclosure 8 in No. 9.
Treedside, January 2, 1873. IN reporting on the sanitary state of the Town Hall Prison, I must say that, not- withstanding its many defects, it is remarkable that it should be so healthy, and so free from those diseases in general due to crowded and badly ventilated rooms. The cells underneath the Legislative Hall, occupied by the prisoners, are often much crowded, and give rise to effluvia emanating from the bodies of the occupants, though it is a notorious fact that this is common to the negro race, and exists even in their own houses. These rooms are about two-thirds above the outer ground, which is dry and well drained, and though they may be considered injurious to the prisoners confined in them, the fact that for the many years I have been surgeon to the Prison, I recollect but one case of sick- ness arising in one of the rooms, a ease of pneumonia, caused by the damp of this room, which was remedied as soon as it was represented to the authorities. The class of prisoners admitted to the Town Hall Prison are, for the most part, more fitted for a poor. house, and it would have been my duty, had I found the prisoners confined in these cells to be suffering in health, to have reported the fact to the authorities,
Augustus F. Gore, Esq.,
Colonial Secretary.
Inclosure 4 in No. 9.
I have, &c.
(Signed) WM, CLARKE.
Dodds, St. Philip's, December 31, 1872.
Sir,
I HAVE the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your communication of the 27th instant and inclosure in which you directed me by order of the Governor to furnish you a Report upon the state of the Town Hall Gaol, to enable his Excellency to prepare his Report to the Secretary of State, concerning a statement made by Mr. Griffith in a I inclose such a Report letter to the Agricultural Reporter on the 28th October last.”
as I trust will be sufficient for the purpose. I also inclose documents on the state of the Common Gaol and Prison Discipline, laid before the Honourable House of Assembly by his Excellency Sir Charles Grey, Governor, dated 18th November, 1845. Since that period great alterations and improvements have been made in the Town Hall Prison, but these documents will show many imperfections that are yet in existence, and might assist the Governor in making out his report. The cells are in much the same condition now as they were at the period mentioned, but I would especially call his Excellency's attention to the letter of Dr. Clarke, Medical Superintendent, in which at page 85 he sets forth the small number of deaths which took place in six years, from 1839 to 1844, when compared with other prisons in England and America. I would also call his attention to the statements of the Inspector of Prisons, and other public officers, neither of whom condemn the Prison as unhealthy. These facts, I think, sufficiently answer Mr. Griffith's condemnatory opinion of the Prison.
I have, &c.
A. F. Gore, &c.,
Colonial Secretary.
(Signed)
FREDERICK WATTS, Inspector of Prisons.
Inclosure 5 in No. 9.
Repurt upon the State of the Town Hall Gaol.
THE Town Hall Goal forms part of a building which contains the Legislative Hall, the Council Chamber, and Hall for the Assistant Court of Appeal. The Courts of Justice are also held in the Legislative Hall. Underneath these rooms is the Town Hall Prison, which contains nine ruoms, eight of which are regularly used as sleeping rooms; the ninth is only used for the confinement of unruly prisoners. All these rooms are below the ground, about four- feet from the surface, Their dimensions, with average number of prisoners confined therein for the last months, are as follows :——
Long.
Wide.
High.
Average Prisoners,
Ft. in.
Ft. in.
Ft.
No. 1
29
21 9
9
24
2
29
9
13 11
9
14
3
23
()
10 4
9
10
22 10
าง 4
1
16
5
28 0
15 10
9
18
6
21
7
7 6
0
10
9
10 1
9
8
21
9
10 2
9
10 6
The Keeper of the Prison reports that, when the prisoners carry out there night utensils in the morning, the turnkeys hurry out, otherwise there is no disagreeable effluvia arising from the cells.
The Town Hall Prison is not such a dungeon as depicted by Mr. Griffith; I admit that it is an unsuitable building for a Prison, on the grounds that it is impossible to enforce proper classification, and consequently discipline; and so long as this state of things is allowed to continue, there must be great room for public censure. The Inspec tors of Prisons, since their first appointment in 1838, have, in their annual reports, in- variably called attention to the unfitness of this Prison, and so late as the report for last year its abolition was strongly urged by me as Inspector of Prisons.
The cells, as shown above, are not two-thirds under ground; they are four feet below the surface, and five feet above ground, with full sized windows, which give ample ventilation, and the whole building stands on an area of one acre, one rood and eleven perches of land, and the entire yard is thoroughly drained. This description of building is not uncommon in the island, many of the best old mansions have their offices and servants rooms underneath the first floors, and below the level of the ground. I know of several houses with sleeping apartments similary situated as are the Town Hall Prison rooms, and I never heard of their being unhealthy. This was the old way in which many houses were erected, and no doubt the same course was adopted at that period in erecting the Town Hall Prison, the only one then in the island. The Grand Jury from time immemorial, at their periodical assemblage, under direction of the Chief Justice, has examined and reported on the cleanliness, healthiness, and general con- dition of the Prison, they have invariably spoken favourably of it, if it was such a dungeon as described by Mr. Griffith, there can be no doubt that such a body of highly intelligent gentlemen would have condemned it altogether.
As regards the prison not being healthy, there is one strong proof in its favour, as will be seen by the following figures:—
1868 1860
1870
1871 1872
:::::
:::::
:::::
Average Prisoners,
Deaths.
120
4
155
132
150
108
This return shows that for five years there were only thirteen deaths in 674 prisoners, a rate of mortality, I think, far below any prison in Great Britain, particularly when it is taken into consideration that the principal class of prisoners confined, are the lowest vagrants of Bridgetown, and many with diseases generated before committed to prison. This year shows three deaths from dysenteric diarrhea, a disease that has been epidemic for several months in the island; the other two deaths were from natural causes.
**
On reference to the Annual Reports of Dr. Clarke, Medical Superintendent for the last ten years to the Inspectors of Prisons, I find he invariably gives a favourable state- ment of this prison; the average diseases amongst the prisoners during the above period have been a few cases of fever, diarrhea, abscesses, bronchitis, ulcers, and boils. In his Report for 1867, he remarks, That during the past year neither the Town Hall, nor the Glendairy Prisons have had any disease of an infectious or contagious nature; and, indeed, may be reported as remarkably healthy." In his Report for 1870 he states, "There has been no disease prevalent either in the Town Hall or Glendairy Prisons for the year; and altogether as to their sanitary state, they are model prisons.”
Whilst I am of opinion that the Town Hall Prison should be abolished, I think, at
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