Sessional_Paper_1891 — Page 161

HONGKONG.

REPORT OF THE SUPERINTENDENT OF VICTORIA GAOL FOR 1890.

157

No. 10

91.

Presented to the Legislative Council, by Command of His Excellency the Governor, on the 10th April, 1891.

· No. 13.

GAOL SUPERINTENDENT'S OFFICE,

HONGKONG, 13th January, 1891.

SIR,-I beg to forward herewith Annual Statistical Return of Victoria Gaol for the year 1890. 2. During ten months of this year the duties of Superintendent were performed by Major DEMPSTER.

3. There has been a small decrease in the average number of Prisoners during the year and a very large proportionate increase in the number of Prison Offences, but this increase is due to petty offences of which talking, short oakum picking and irregularities at shot-drill are the principal. The number of serious Prison Offences has not increased.

Subordinate Staff.

4. The conduct of the Subordinate Staff during the year has been satisfactory.

Prison Buildings.

5. The Prison Buildings remain unchanged. My annual urgent recommendations for Gaol enlargement and introduction of the separate system appear to be but wearisome and useless re- iterations. A recent vote of the Finance Committee of Council having decided that no money is to be spent for such purposes, it seems to be doubted by the Committee whether the experience of other countries as to the deterrent effects of this system would be applicable to Chinese prisoners. The question of the reformatory facilities of the system appears not to have been considered nor has any reference been made to the monstrous evils of the present Gaol system in this Colony. As far back as 1886 I brought to notice of Government in a special Report the scandalous state of overcrowding of this Gaol. An influential Committee was appointed to enquire into and report on this subject in the spring of 1886 but no steps have yet been taken to improve the state of matters then reported. There were then and are now in this Gaol 95 associated cells occupied many of them day and night. These are crowded to such an extent that the Prisoners have on an average rather less than 200 cubic feet of air each. They sleep on the floors packed together covered by their blankets; it is impossible to prevent their conversing at night under the blankets. It is needless to speak of morality or decency. I will only observe that these Prisoners are many of them day and night in a state of overcrowding which even by night alone in the city of Victoria is declared by law to be a nuisance. They breathe in about one-third less cubic space than is by law permitted for night lodging-houses. Were the Superintendent of the Gaol a lodging-house keeper he would be liable to a fine of $50 for every one of 95 associated cells in Victoria Gaol. (See Ordinance 24 of 1887, sections 67 to 75.) This Ordinance refers only to sanitary matters but the moral aspect of this state of things is far graver. Victoria Gaol is, in my opinion, simply a school of vice and crime. The unfortunate man previously not a criminal who finds his way to Gaol perhaps for a breach of opium laws, a street fight or any other petty offence, runs a risk of contamination which it is difficult to escape, many emerge well instructed in crime. evil influence extends beyond the Gaol; they promise to visit the friends of their prison comrades and are not improved by the contact, It is true indeed that every effort is made to avoid contamination by keeping different classes apart-boys from men, old offenders from first offenders, &c.,--but this is of little use.

In a cell full of 8 or 9 new offenders, it must often happen that one or more though new offenders as regards this Gaol are old criminals from other places who devote themselves to corrupting the more innocent. Hongkong is well known to be full of pirates, burglars, thieves and criminals of every description many of whom are associated in Triad Societies. I am aware that at one time (and probably now) upwards of one hundred members of the Triad Society were in Gaol and recruits to this society were largely obtained from discharged prisoners. The present associated system of this Gaol lends extraordinary facilities to the extension of these criminal organizations and whatever money may be saved to the Public, by refusing to build the Gaol accommodation which health, decency and criminal reform require will probably have to be paid in increased Police expenses and increased

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