CO885(3-4) — Page 36

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TRINIDAD.

No. 3.

Governor Irving, C.M.G., to the Earl of Carnarvon.-(Received August 13.)

(No. 85.) My Lord,

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Trinidad, July 14, 1875.

I HAVE the honour to inclose the usual Reports relating to crime and prison discipline in Trinidad for 1874.

2. I have not failed to give my anxious consideration to the remarks on these Reports for 1873, which were conveyed to me in your despatch No. 179 of the 12th of November last. Some necessary amendments have been made in the prison regula- tions; but it is obvious that what is really essential to the improvement of the system of prison discipline in the direction indicated by your Lordship, is additional prison accommodation; and with the very heavy pressure on the Public Works Department, which, until Mr. Messervy's recent return from leave, has been conducted by Mr. Tanner, single-handed, it has been impossible for the Government to commence any new buildings. I trust that the early appointment of a First Assistant Colonial Engineer will relieve the Department from the severe strain under which it has at present to work.

3. In considering the question of prison discipline in Trinidad, it is necessary to bear in mind the character of the offences which have to be dealt with. Of 3,100 persons committed to prison in 1874 for penal imprisonment, no less than 2,828 were sentenced for three months and under, 195 for less than a-year, and only 70 for one year and upwards. Of the total number sentenced for three months and under, about one-half may be regarded as non-criminal, being imprisoned for offences against the Law of Master and Servant, or against Ordinances relating to the social economy of the Colony. The other half are of the vagabond or " rowdy" class, who are imprisoned in many cases over and over again for such offences as fighting, 297 cases; assaults, 207; drunkenness, 155; bad language, 122; riotous conduct, 166; vagrancy, 108. Thus, setting apart females and juveniles, there are three classes of prisoners to be dealt with-long-sentenced prisoners; short-sentenced prisoners-criminal; short-sentenced prisoners-non-criminal.

4. For the first class what is required, is the ordinary prison discipline, to consist of a preliminary penal stage of strict separate confinement within the gaol, and subse- quent employment at hard labour.

For the second class, treatment for the whole term of sentence in the penal stage. For the third class, hard labour, sufficiently irksome to give them a wholesome dread of imprisonment, and as far as possible remunerative.

5. The first class have to be punished for their crimes, and as far as possible to be reformed.

The second class have to be deterred by sharp punishment from repetition of their misconduct; reformation by a few weeks' imprisonment is out of the question.

The third class have to be deterred, and to be made to atone for their offences by the performance of useful work.

6. Adopting this classification, the proper course appears to me to be to reserve the Royal Gaol in Port of Spain as a place of confinement for all prisoners in a penal stage, and for any long-sentence prisoners who have passed that stage, but whom for any reason it may not be expedient to employ outside the walls of the prison. To send to the depôt at Carrera's Island, or to that at Chaguanas (with the foregoing-excep- tion), long-sentence men who have passed the penal stage; and to send all non-criminal short-sentence prisoners to Chaguanas, where suitable occupation can be supplied them in the cultivation of the soil.

7. To carry these views into effect, it will be necessary very considerably to increase the number of separate cells in the Royal Gaol. There is considerable difficulty in doing this, owing to the limited space within the walls; but if it cannot

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PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE

Reference :-

TTC.O. 885,

4

PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON

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