"In these respects, my views are very like your own, unless it be that 1 would have fewer secluded rooms. It may be well to have a few rooms entirely dark; very few, it is to be hoped, will be sufficient. "The inquiry respecting water-closets is the most difficult one for me to answer. I am inclined to the opinion, that one or two on each story will be better than one in each room. They are bad things to get out of order, and should not be under the control of mischievous prisoners. In rooms occupied by good prisoners, it will be convenient to have them; but for many, I should think quite as well of your close pans, to be at the command of the watchman, and emptied at any time in the night, if offensive. "I am in favor of a very free admission of pure water into a Prison, and would advise that each prisoner have control of all that he needs for ablution or for drink. This is not objectionable, as far as I can conceive, in any point of view. Pure air and pure water, so bountifully supplied by a kind Providence, should be every man's boon, as they are the great luxuries of which the rich and the poor alike participate. "In short, my idea of a perfect Prison building, is safety, ease of inspection, means of seclusion for some, free light, pure air, facilities for abundant warmth, and a supply of pure water; the best arrangements for ventilation, classification, and instruction, a good chapel and school-room, water-closets, baths, pleasant apartments for labor, and means for comfort every where. "Yours very truly, "S. B. WOODWARD." NOTICE OF PARTICULAR PRISONS. STATE PRISON IN MAINE. "THOMASTON, May 18, 1846. "Rev. LOUIS DWIGHT. "Sir: "Your favor of the 15th instant is received. The reason why you have not received my annual report is, that it has not been printed. Our legislature convened last week. When printed, I will forward you one. "The information you ask for concerning sick prisoners being pardoned, I will give as correctly as possible. Since I have had charge here, six years, there has been but one pardoned in consequence of ill health. We have but few deaths in this Prison, and nearly or quite all are from disease contracted before entering the Prison. We have but little sickness among prisoners who are healthy when they enter the Prison. "Our new Prison answers every purpose we anticipated, and we are delighted with it. It is healthy, clean, comfortable, and convenient for minute inspection. "As to punishment, we have none but mild, and but little of that; which is, to put the person to be punished into one of our old cells, which were shown you when here, and those made darker than usual, if possible,—and kept on bread and water. We invariably release him from punishment when he calls, if it is in one or more days, he appearing penitent. "This punishment, although mild, answers in nearly every case. We have one rather stubborn. In one instance, we had to resort to the lash, although that was but lightly inflicted. The prisoner is under a life sentence, which was commuted by the governor from hanging. He is a bad man, and kind treatment and persuasion had failed to accomplish what they do in most cases -make the prisoner better. For more than a year, the inspectors and myself had come to the conclusion that we should be obliged to whip that man. I so informed him, and used all my powers to keep him clear, but failed. We whipped him a dozen lashes, with a small green hide, and it has done him more good than several punishments as before inflicted. He has behaved well since. I believe the officers should be invested with power to inflict stripes, and be cautious how they abuse that power. "I am loath to believe that kind and good officers are willing to inflict improper punishments upon unfortunate convicts under their charge. "I think we have as good discipline in our Prison now as there is in any other, as our new Prison will admit of it. And the prisoners generally seem to enjoy themselves are healthy and industrious. "I should be highly pleased to be present at your anniversary on the 26th instant, but am of the opinion I cannot. "Respectfully your friend, “BENJAMIN CARR." STATE PRISON IN NEW HAMPSHIRE. The annual report of the Prison for the June session of the legislature, 1845, is a neatly-printed octavo pamphlet of 16 pages. It contains reports from the warden, physician, and chaplain. 89 81 It appears from the warden's report, that the number of prisoners at the commencement of the year was The number of prisoners at the close, Showing a diminution of . . . 8 The number discharged by expiration of sentence, was 7; by pardon, 12, i. e., 1 in 7 of the whole number discharged by pardon, and nearly twice as many by pardon as by expiration of sentence or in due course of law. One was discharged by reverse of judgment. The mortality was 2 out of an average number of 85, or 1 in 421, which is more than the average mortality of this Prison for a long course of years, the average mortality from 1812 to 1845, inclusive, having been 1 in 77, 82, or 28 out of 2179, the sum total of the average number of prisoners for 34 years. The physician says, 100 "This, like the last year, has been an unusually sickly one." "In the autumn of 1834, about 1 in every 5 of the convicts was sick with typhus fever." "Last year, there was a large number of cases." "There has been an unusual amount of fever in the town of Concord, during the years 1843, '44, but nothing like the proportion that has occurred at the Penitentiary." "Besides the large number of fever cases of the last year, we have also had more than the usual amount of bowel, catarrhal, rheumatic, and dyspeptic complaints, together with a few cases of erysipelas." The employment of the prisoners was as follows: 23 in the cabinet shop; 24 in the smiths' shop; 25 in the shoe shop; 2 in the cookery; 2 washing and mending; 2 at the steam engine; 1 in the hall; 1 lumper; and 1 old and infirm. Total, 81. Their nativity was, 52 from New Hampshire; 21 from other states in the Union; and 8 from foreign countries. Total, 81. Their crimes were, for stealing, 36, of whom 7 stole horses and 2 sheep; larceny, 2; counterfeiting bank notes, 1; do. coin, 2; passing counterfeit money, 5; subornation of perjury, 1; forgery, 4; house and store breaking, 6; burglary, 2; rape, 3; attempt at rape, 4; arson and burning, 6; manslaughter, 1; murder in second degree, 4; attempt to murder, 3; murder, sentence commuted, 1. Total, 81. Their sentences were, for life, 11; 15 years, 1; 14 years, 1; 12 years, 1; 10 years, 5; 9 years, 1; 8 years, 4; 7 years, 8; 6 years, 4; 5 years, 14; 4 years, 5; 3 years, 18; 2 years, 7; 1 years, 1. Total, 81.-Average length of sentence, allowing the life sentence 30 years, 8 years and 9 months. Average length of sentence, not including the life sentences, years 3 months and 12 days. Their ages were as follows: between 10 and 20 years, 14; between 20 and 30 years, 33; between 30 and 40 years, 17; between 40 and 50 years, 9; between 50 and 60 years, 4; between 60 and 70 years, 3; between 70 and 80 years, 1. Total, 81. The income from the labor of the convicts exceeded the disbursements for all things, including the salary of the officers. The income from the smith's shop was. "cabinet shop, steam engine, " visitors' fees, $1,968 64 1,990 45 2,228 37 207 33 104 99 20 00 The great results of the Prison, from 1812 to 1845, inclusive, are as follows: During the period of 34 years, 657 prisoners have been committed; have been discharged by expiration of sentence; have been pardoned ; have died; have escaped is the total of the average number of prisoners for all the years from 1812. 100 Of the whole number committed, 1 in 1,87 have been discharged by expiration of sentence; 1 in 387 have been discharged by pardon; 1 in 2346 have died; and 1 in 50,53 have escaped. Of the sum total of the average numbers, for 34 years, 1 in 62 have been discharged by expiration of sentence; 1 in 113 have been discharged by pardon; 1 in 77,82 have died; and 1 in 167,61 have escaped. The recommittals nowhere appear in this report, except that the chaplain says, — Of 48, the whole number who have been liberated in two years past, not one has been recommitted. This is an omission which we regret. The principles of government as stated by the warden and chaplain, and the system of instruction as stated by the chaplain, will appear in another part of the Report. STATE PRISON IN MASSACHUSETTS. The Annual Report of this Prison for the year ending September 30, 1845, is a neatly-printed octavo pamphlet of 28 pages. It contains the reports of the inspectors, the warden, and physician. The inspectors say, 66 They have reason to believe, from their own knowledge of the affairs of the Prison, derived from the discharge of their official duties, as well as from information otherwise obtained, that its general interests and condition were never more prosperous, nor its objects more fully attained, than at the present time." "The work-shops and other buildings which have been newly erected, and the repairs that have been made, show a judicious and economical expenditure of the money appropriated by the legislature for that purpose." The change in the shops and other buildings they speak of as favorable to health and discipline. They say, "The Prison is not a charge upon the state;" "that the Sabbath school is in a prosperous state;" that "the hundred dollars lately appropriated by the legislature to enlarge the library has been expended, and for that purpose;" and "of the utility and importance of furnishing the convicts with a sufficient amount of useful reading, there will probably be but one opinion." The warden's report shows the number of convicts at the commencement of the year to have been 276; at the closc, 287; an increase of 11. - :- - from 15 to 20 The ages of those in Prison are as follows: years, 18; from 20 to 30, 130; from 30 to 40, 77; from 40 to 50, 37; from 50 to 60, 18; from 60 to 70, 7. Total, 287. The crimes were principally as follows:- larceny, 86; common and notorious thief, 19; burglary, 15; do. second degree, 5; burglary and larceny, 5; arson, 4; do. in second degree, 2; assault with intent to murder, 5; murder, 6; assault with intent to rape, 8; breaking and entering a dwelling-house and stealing therefrom, 8; shop-breaking, 11; having counterfeit bank notes with intent to pass, 10; store-breaking and larceny, 6; robbery, 4. The above are the most numerous and aggravated crimes. The sentences varied from one year, for which period there were 20, to life sentences, for which there were 14. The average length of sentence, calling the life sentence equal to 30 years, of the 287 in Prison when the warden's report was made, was 5 years and 8 months. The average length of sentence of 273, not including the life sentences, was 4 years |