Sessional_Paper_1889 — Page 147

145

No.

7

89.

HONGKONG.

REPORT OF THE SUPERINTENDENT OF VICTORIA GAOL FOR 1888.

Presented to the Legislative Council, by Command of His Excellency the Governor.

No. 20..

COLONIAL SECRETARY,

GAOL SUPERINTENDENT'S OFFICE,

HONGKONG, 21st January, 1889.

I beg to forward herewith Annual Statistical Return of Victoria Gaol for 1888.

2. I have in previous reports referred to the successful results achieved in England by the com- bination of deterrent and reformatory Prison discipline the number of crimes and the criminal class-as steadily decreasing there as the population increases. The condition of Hongkong is indeed as I have before observed very different from that of England in as much as the amount of crime and criminal population here is as much or more dependent on the prosperity or the reverse of neighbouring Chinese territory as on the administration of our criminal law and the deterrent and reformatory nature of our Prison administration. For these reasons a reduction in the numbers of criminals confined in gaol, is no more necessarily to be credited to a judicious deterrent and reformatory Prison discipline, than an increase is necessarily to be debited to laxity of Prison discipline.

3. But to whatever causes it may be due, it must be satisfactory to Government to know that the number of criminals confined in Gaol has been of late decreasing, while the population is known to be steadily increasing. From Return Y. 13 it will be observed that the daily average number of Prisoners confined in Victoria Gaol during 1888 is less than it has been for the last ten years. The daily average number in 1888 was 531, in the previous year 1887 it was 584. A very slight portion of this reduc- tion may be owing to the circumstance of Government having released a certain number of gamblers and unlicensed hawkers a few days before the expiration of their short sentences, but this difference would be very trifling, and if we compare the number of committals during these two years, nearly the same proportions are established in 1888, 3,627 persons were committed; in 1887 the number was 4,308.

4. The Ordinance under which Criminals who earn remission of portion of their sentence are now liable to be placed under Police supervision, cannot I believe fail to do much good. It has, however, as I am informed on enquiry, been too short a time in operation to give any reliable results. Many of these persons have, I understand, left the Colony, rather than remain under Police supervision- certainly no loss to the community-and it is satisfactory to know that none of the discharged Prisoners placed under Police supervision have returned to Gaol during the year.

Subordinate Staff.

5. The conduct of the subordinate Gaol staff during the year has been very satisfactory. These Officers have generally been zealous and painstaking, they have been judicious and forbearing in their intercourse with Prisoners, illicit dealings between Turnkeys and Prisoners, so frequent some years ago, have within the last two or three years as I believe entirely ceased. The low pay of most of the Gaol staff leads however to the result that constant changes are occurring, as able officers are constantly on the look-out for other and better paid employment and there are therefore always a large number of Probationers to be instructed in their duties. As it has been proposed in the Estimates of this

year to increase the pay of the staff, it is hoped this evil will be diminished. It may be possible in time to obtain a certain number of Prison officials trained in English Prisons, who, like the Police would have to be engaged for a period of at least three years. At present the Gaol Staff have all been trained and taught their duties in this Prison.

Prison Buildings.

6. These remain as formerly reported. The disadvantages of overcrowding in associated wards and of deficient space for workshops are obvious and have been reported on year by year, and I have annually repeated my opinion that the separate system is essential to efficient deterrent and reformatory Prison discipline.