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THE HONGKONG GOVERNMENT GAZETTE, 10TH MARCH, 1877.
PUNISHMENTS.
1stly. Under sentences from the Supreme Court and the Magistracy.
2ndly. For breaches of Gaol Regulations.
These consist of:-1stly,
1. Shot-drill with 32 lb., 24 lb., and 18 lb. shot.
2. The crank.
3. Oakum-picking with stone-carrying as an alternative punishment.
4. Stone-breaking and dressing.
5.
Mat-making.
6.
Clothes cleaning.
7.
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8. Blacksmiths' work.
9. Gaol cleaning and scavengering,
10. Cooking.
11. Office serving and service.
12. Washing.
13. Hospital attendance.
14. Clerical labour.
15. Solitary confinement (partial).
Of these different forms of punishment the "Shot-drill" and the "Crank" can only be considered as strictly penal, and these with the "Treadmill" are reported by the Lords' Committee of 1867-68 as the most deterrent in England. The latter is not at present in use in this Colony.
According to the opinions of those who have had most experience of the effects of punishments in the Gaol of this Colony, to European prisoners "Shot-drill" is the most irksome, whilst to Chinese prisoners "Oakum-picking" is far more laborious and disagreeable.
The reasons assigned for this difference in taste are perfectly intelligible.
The European prisoners are generally soldiers or sailors, and the latter form the largest proportion. Accustomed to handle rope, their fingers by habit have acquired dexterity in unwinding the strands. They are allowed also to use a sort of hook called a "jigger," which enables them more easily to open the junk and lightens the task very much.
Recommendation.-This "jigger" the Committee recommend should be taken away,
The Chinese prisoners have all their lives been used to hard work and especially to lifting heavy weights, and the mechanical nature of "Shot-drill " requiring no thought beyond mere listening to the word of command is better suited to their more indolent natures, than "Oakum-picking," a task which demands close attention in untwisting the fibres.
The hours of “Shot-drill” are 4 for Chinese and 3 for European prisoners each day. Mr. GREY thinks that Chinese prisoners care very little for "Shot-drill."
Recommendation.—The Committee do not see any reason for recommending that the hours of "Shot-drill be
lessened.
CRANK.-This form of punishment was introduced by Sir R. G. MACDONNELL in 1868. Twelve were imported, but no directions as to their proper use have ever been obtained, and none of the Officers of the Gaol have had much experience in their employment as a means of punishment. (Two only are now in use). Prisoners are put to them when the Medical Officer reports to be unfit for "" Shot-drill."
"
The price of a Crank" in England is £12. The Surveyor General thinks that they could be made quite as well in this Colony for a smaller sum. Mr. TOMLIN thinks that work as hard can be found at a saving of the expense of providing more cranks, and is of opinion that they should be reserved for offences against the Gaol Rules only. He objects too that one inevitable consequence of the use of many "Cranks" would be that the air inside the Gaol would be polluted, as the men employed on the cranks are obliged to use a "bucket" instead of the latrine in the yard in relieving the wants of nature.
The Committee are of opinion that this difficulty may be easily overcome and is a fault of administration principally. The fact that this punishment is undergone in a separate cell must add much to its deterrent effect.
Recommendation.-The Committee recommend that the remaining 8 "cranks" be put at once into serviceable order. The propriety of ordering more depends so much upon the form of punishment adopted by His Excellency in Council, that the Committee make no remarks on the subject.
It will be for His Excellency to consider whether the Acting Superintendent Mr. TOMLIN's suggestion should be adopted that the "Crank" be reserved for offences against Gaol Rules as hereafter mentioned.
OAKUM-PICKING. This is generally classed amongst the hard labour punishments, but is not strictly penal and is termed in the Lords' Report, page 70, "and intermediate form of work.”
It has already been pointed out how distasteful it is to Chinese prisoners. The difficulty is to supply a sufficient quantity of junk to keep all the prisoners at work.
The Superintendent states, that owing to the introduction of wire rigging, and the preponderance of steam over sailing vessels, at times the supply runs very short. For these reasons, fewer hours are occupied with this punishment than in the majority of prisons.
In combination with other punishment, European prisoners now pick 14 lbs., Chinese 1 lb. a day; 3 lbs. would be the amount required to be picked, if the sole punishment, per diem. The Chinese pick it more slowly and often do not pick their quantity in the prescribed time.
Moreover, there is not a good market for Oakum at Victoria, as women and children are employed by some shipchandlers in picking at 14 cents per lb.
This in itself should form no objection, provided a sufficient supply could be obtained, as it has long been settled that a profitable return from an industrial employment should not be made the test of prison efficiency (Lords' Report, Part 2, page 72). One lot of junk (5 tons) converted into Oakum and sold proved very remunerative. It cost $49 a ton and 2 tons sold for $112.
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