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PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE

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be greatly brought to bear by the separate system. We are not without hopes that the reforms we now propose, as to discipline, will so reduce the number of prisoners, as to enable us to adopt the separate system in its entirety.

32. If it were possible to have a complete system of separation, classification (beyond classification of the sexes) would be unnecessary. As, nt present, it is impossible with our numbers to carry it out, we must consider how we can introduce it.

We propose to divide the two long wards of the present Transmarine Gaol into as many separate cells as can be constructed, and that they be used according to the following classifications:-

(1) Prisoners for short terms sent in for the first time.

(2.) Prisoners for short terms sent in for tlie second time.

(3.) Prisoners for long terms undergoing the penal stage.

33. As regards classification for labour, we recommend that a strictly penal course he not followed with prisoners of the 4th Class under Clause 15 of this Report, viz. :-- Prisoners sentenced to pay fines for breach of the Revenue Laws, but that they be employed on the usual light work inside or outside the prison which prisoners are now subjected to.

34. We recommend that, with this exception, all prisoners sentenced to penal servitude or to hard labour by the Courts be divided into two classes: -

(1.) Long term prisoners over sentences of six months.

(2.) Short term prisoners under sentences of six months.

But every one of these prisoners be given, for the whole of his short sentence, or for the first six months of his long sentence, a certain amount (as much as he can bear) of strictly penal labour, by which we understand the tread-wheel, crank, or shot drill, and that the rest of his time for that period be employed in some irksome labour inside the gaols.

35. The Gaol at Singapore admits, by partitions being put up in all the present cooking premises, of a number of open separate places in which men can be employed on irksome works inside the Gaol without communication, und we think these partitions should be made as early as possible. The whole of the ten, or a very large portion (for we look forward to this discipline very much reducing the number of men), can then be employed in separate cells at day, or in separate cells by both day and night, and after a short time, an intelligent gaoler will be able to watch the effect. -

36. There are certain difficulties in the way of introducing at present the tread-wheel and crank, and we propose therefore to adopt shot-drill, on the plan practised now in Ceylon, with a stand (patterns of which have been sent to Government), for one hour in the morning, and one hour in the evening.

37. With the exception of the 4th class, paragraph 15 of this Report, we propose this penal labour shall be enforced with every short-term prisoner for his whole sentence, and with every long-term prisoner for the first six months of his sentence.

38. The present Gaol here affords abundant space for this system of labour, and as soon as the number of shot-stands can be procured, and the sheds built, we consider no time whatever should be lost in its introduction, both here, as well as at Penang, and at Malacca.

39. Page 11 of the Ceylon Report enters into the question of this shot-drill fully, and we entirely agree with the views expressed in paragraph 37.

40. We recommend also that penal diet be introduced, by which we understand that the prison diet be so regulated, as far as it can be done without injury to the prisoner's health, as to form a part of his punishment.

We cannot possibly express our opinions better than in quoting the Ceylon Report:-

We recommend also that, so far as can be done without any permanent injury to health, the prison diet should be so regulated as to make it a part of the convict's punishment.

"We thoroughly concur with the opinion expressed by the Lords Committee that the low animal natures of too many of the criminal class, and the admitted efficacy of the reduction of food in cases of prison offence, render plain the value of diet as one form of penal correction.

"We believe that no permanent injury to a prisoner's health would be done by making his food for two months consist of rice and salt only, and his drink water only. This should be the prison diet for the first two months of all sentences exceeding two months, and for the whole period of the sentence if not more than two months. We believe that this will have a very great deterrent effect, especially on the habitual thieves of our large towns, who now rather like the torpid case of a few weeks in gaol, with

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congenial society and plenty of excellent curry, but who will think very differently of two months, or a month, or even ten days, at the tread-wheel or shot drill, with hard and scanty fare, and complete exclusion from conversation with their fellow thieves."

41. The results of this recommendation of the Ceylon Committee was to introduce

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the following rules, which we recommend should be adopted here as soon as possible:-

(1.) The diet of every short-sentenced prisoner shall consist of rice and salt only for food (or, in case of Europeans, of bread) for the first ten days in each month of imprisonment; when the whole term does not exceed ten days, the prisoner is to be kept on penal diet for the whole time.

(2.) Every long-sentenced prisoner shall be kept in the lowest stage of rigorously penal labour for the first six mouths of his term.

(3.) "The diet of every such prisoner shall consist of rice and salt only for food (or, in case of Europeans, of bread) for the first ten days in each month of imprison- ment."

42. Before entering on the case of the future stages of punishment to long-sentenced prisoners, after they shall have passed the lower stage of rigorously penal labour, we desire to make a few remarks upon what we consider at present the most defective part of our system, viz. :

The superintendence of the local prisoners by transmarine convicts.

We have no hesitation in saying that we believe it to be wrong in principle, and worse in practice. We do not intend to assert that deserving convicts, who have passed a very long portion of their sentence, may not be employed in superintending the local convicts within the walls of the gaol, and we are prepared to recommend that this be allowed to a certain extent, but only within the gaol.

We recommend that in the Singapore Gaol at least four European warders, besides the Superintendent, be employed, and that free native warders be engaged for service inside the gaol, in the proportion of one to every twenty men, and if this number is doubled it will give sufficient for night duty as well.

We recommend that these men shall form part of the regular police force, wear their uniform, be armed, and changed at least every six months, so that the force will generally become acquainted with the duties of the prison and with the characters of the prisoners, or, at all events, of those whọ become habitual offenders.

An extra addition can be made to the police force to meet these requirements. When prisoners, sentenced to imprisonment for not paying fine, are employed outside, or convicts of long sentences undergoing the middle stage (to be hereafter described), they should be invariably employed under free warders, who should be drawn from the police in the same way.

This system will give the opportunity of training up to this particular work a large body of the police, in conjunction with their other duties, if they are regularly changed, as from the last returns we find that at Singapore there were 113 revenue law cases; and, perhaps, this may be taken as a fair average of the number ever likely to be available for work outside the gaol, or, at the utmost, 150, which would require 15 warders or police- men, aud, if split up into small parties, more.

The average at present, after the bad cases from Penang and Malacca are received, may be here taken at about 500 for employment inside the gaol, and which will require 50 free warders for day and night work.

But we have very great hopes that this will only be required for a time, and that the effect of the system we propose will be such as in a comparatively short time effectually to reduce the number of prisoners in our guols.

We are of opinion that at present perhaps half out of these 50 men might be supplied from the picked transmarine convicts, who have shown themselves good and trustworthy men, but they should never be employed with the men outside the gaol. To them also a ticket-of-leave should be given.

The employment of free warders at Penang and Malacca should be regulated on the same terms and in the same proportions.

49. And now as to the case of long-sentenced prisoners, we have before advised that for the first portion of six months of his sentence he shall be subject to the rigorous penal labour and diet recommended for a short-sentenced prisoner.

Beyond this should exist the second or middle stage of industrial hard labour, and the third or upper stage of industrial light labour.

We think that a prisoner in the first stage of rigorously penal labour should be kept longer in that stage if he seriously or repeatedly misconducts himself, and in no case should he be allowed to rise out of it unless he has passed a month at least without having been guilty of serious misconduct.-