CO129-275 - Governor Sir Robinson - 1897 [1-5] — Page 320

13. The Superintendent shall cause to be fully explained to every officer his general duties, and especially those required of him in case of fire, or in case of any attempt to escape made by either a single prisoner or several in concert.

14. The Superintendent shall take proper and discreet means to ascertain that no visitors to prisoners bring into the prison anything not permitted by the rules of the prison, or, in his opinion, objectionable. The Superintendent shall on no account allow the employment of prisoners as servants by any officer of the prison.

15. The Superintendent may, on reasonable grounds of suspicion, require that visitors to prisoners be searched in his presence, except in the case of females who shall be searched in a private room by the Matron. Should such visitors refuse to be searched, or to give their names and addresses, he may refuse them admittance.

16. The Superintendent shall see that the number of prisoners required by the proper Director of Public Works for the public works are sent out at the proper time, with a sufficient number of well-armed officers for their safe custody, and he shall occasionally visit them while at work.

17. The Superintendent may permit any respectable person to view the prison at reasonable hours, accompanied by an officer, who shall caution such visitor against conversing with any prisoner.

18. The Superintendent shall pay attention to the ventilation, drainage, and sanitary condition of the prison, and take such measures as may be necessary for their being maintained in perfect order; and with the Surgeon shall frequently examine and see that the washing places, baths, and closets are in efficient working order; and shall be the duty of every officer to report at once any defect by which these arrangements do not effect their proper object.

19. The Superintendent shall visit and inspect daily every part of the prison and see every prisoner once at least in every 24 hours. Once in each week he shall go through the prison at an uncertain hour of the night recording the fact in his journal. When visiting or inspecting the female prison he shall be accompanied by the Matron or by a female warder.

20. The Superintendent shall hear the reports every day, at such an hour as is most convenient, and shall take care that every prisoner having a complaint to make or request to prefer to him shall have ample facilities for doing so; and he shall redress any grievances, or take such steps as may seem necessary, recording the same in the appointed manner. Should, however, repeated complaints of a groundless nature be made under this rule, the matter shall be treated as a breach of prison discipline and the offender shall be liable to punishment accordingly.

21. The Superintendent shall forward to the Governor without delay any report or complaint which any officer of the prison may desire to make to him, and shall on no account suppress or check and initial the mark books.

22. The Superintendent shall enforce observance of silence throughout the prison and prevent all intercourse or communication between the prisoners, so far as the form and the conduct of the business of the prison will permit, and shall take care that all necessary and unavoidable intercourse or communication between prisoners be conducted in such manner only as he shall from time to time direct.

23. The Superintendent shall take care that no prisoner is subjected to any punishment when the Surgeon is not satisfied he is capable of undergoing; and shall see that the written recommendations of the Surgeon are attended to as regards the supply of any additional bedding or clothing or alteration of diet for any prisoner, or with respect to any alteration of discipline or treatment in the case of any prisoner whose mind or body appears to require it.

24. The Superintendent shall be responsible that the store regulations are strictly enforced.

25. The Superintendent shall exercise authority with firmness, temper, and humanity. His object should be not only to give full effect to the sentence awarded to the prisoners, but also to induce in them practical habits of industry, regularity, and good conduct.

26. The Superintendent shall submit to the Governor, by the 1st of February in each year, an annual report of the prison for the previous year, referring to all subjects of interest connected with the prison.

27. The Superintendent shall enter in the Superintendent's Order Book all permanent directions which he shall issue relating to the management and discipline of the prison.

28. The Superintendent shall, a few days before the 18th of each month, or such other time as may be fixed for the opening of the Supreme Court Sessions, on the occasion of prisoners who are committed for trial being so committed, with the usual informations, ask each man if he wishes to see his counsel or solicitor, or to call any witnesses for his defence; and shall at once inform the Police authorities in order that such witnesses may be, if necessary, summoned to appear at the Sessions. The Superintendent shall record this in his Journal, stating the number of prisoners who have been asked the question, and their replies to it.

29. The Superintendent shall be responsible for the due discharge of all prisoners upon their becoming entitled to release, whether by the expiration of their term of sentence, or by pardon or commutation, or by remission of sentence.

30. He shall visit the hospital daily, and see that proper arrangements are made for the safe custody of the sick prisoners, that discipline is maintained, so far as is consistent with the medical treatment prescribed for them.

31. He may, with the concurrence of the Medical Officer, use the body belt for the restraint of any violent or refractory prisoner, or of any invalid prisoner who cannot be otherwise restrained.

32. He shall attend every corporal punishment inflicted within the prison; and he shall enter in his journal the hour at which the punishment was inflicted, the number of strokes given, and any remarks which he or the Medical Officer may have made on the occasion.

33. In the absence of the Superintendent, his duties and authority shall devolve upon the Chief Warder, with the exception of the power to award punishment under rule 279.

34. The Chief Warder shall assist the Superintendent to carry his instructions into effect and shall see that his orders are strictly obeyed. He shall daily check, and initial, and send on to the Superintendent all books, returns, registers, and other matters requiring his attention.

35. The Chief Warder shall reside in the prison, shall not absent himself from his duties without the permission of the Superintendent.

36. The Chief Warder shall take care that every prisoner on admission is put into a reception cell and strictly searched, and that all knives, coins, instruments, money, opium, tobacco, or anything forbidden by the rules or in the opinion of the Superintendent objectionable, or anything likely to facilitate escape, be taken from such prisoner. As far as practicable, no such search shall take place in the presence of any other prisoner.

37. On the admission of each prisoner, it shall be the duty of the Chief Warder or Clerk to record in the Prison Register or Nominal Record of prisoners, the name, age, height, weight, features, particular marks, and general appearance of such prisoner, with anything else worthy of notice.

38. The Chief Warder shall take care that all valuables taken from prisoners, with their clothes and other effects, and all such things as may from time to time be sent in on the prisoner's account, shall be entered in the Prisoners' Property Book, with the date of their receipt and description; and that all such property shall be immediately placed in a suitable place to be provided for the purpose, and shall be restored to the prisoner on discharge; except such articles as it may be considered necessary to destroy, or such money or property as the Governor may think fit to confiscate or to allow the prisoner to have to assist him in his defence on his trial.

39. On being brought into the prison, prisoners shall be carefully searched, and all money, valuables, &c. found in their possession will be at once entered in the Property Book. All money and valuables shall be handed over to the Chief Warder for safe custody.

40. The Chief Warder shall check all demands made on the Storekeeper for stores and clothing to be used in the prison, and shall see that all articles are properly marked with the prison mark, and that no extra clothing is issued to a prisoner without the Superintendent's authority.

41. The Chief Warder shall attend every corporal punishment inflicted within the prison, and enter in the Occurrence Book the day and hour of the infliction of the punishment, with the number of strokes, and the direction of the Surgeon thereon.

42. The Chief Warder shall superintend the exercise of the fire party at least once in every month.

43. The Chief Warder shall take care that prisoners have an opportunity of making complaints or requests to him, and he shall either take steps to redress any grievance, or shall report the same to the Superintendent.

44. The Chief Warder shall accompany the Visiting Justices in their visits of inspection to the prison. He shall take care that any prisoner who wishes to see the Superintendent, or Visiting Justices, shall have an opportunity of doing so. Prisoners shall be sent to the office for this purpose.

45. The Chief Warder shall frequently visit the workshops, yards, and corridors, and see that the prisoners are kept at their work. He shall also occasionally visit the wards without previous notice during the night, to ascertain that the officers on duty are on the alert. He shall diligently observe the behaviour of all prison officers, and see that they strictly adhere to the rules, and shall report immediately to the Superintendent any neglect or misconduct that may come to his knowledge.

46. The Chief Warder shall be responsible to the Superintendent that the details of duties connected with order and discipline of the prison are carried out with promptness and regularity, and in strict accordance with the regulations. He shall also enforce the greatest economy.

47. The Chief Warder shall daily inspect every part of the prison, and see that everything is clean and in good order, and that the means of security in the different yards, &c., are effective. He shall pay special attention to prisoners in solitary confinement. He shall see that no ladders, planks, ropes, chains, or anything likely to facilitate escape, are left exposed in the yards.