A Page .................................................................................. iv .............................................. ARRANGEMENT.................................................................... Documents on State Prisons and Penitentia- Documents on Lunatic Asylums Documents on County Prisons PART II.-NEW BUILDINGS. Charlestown State Prison Extension... New County Prison, Concord, New Hamp- New Prison at Dedham, Massachusetts.... New Prison, Northampton, Massachusetts Washington City, D. C., House of Refuge... 10 Western Pennsylvania House of Refuge 10 PART IV.-STATE PRISONS AND PENITENTIARIES. Principles on which they are conducted..... 27 | Increase of Convicts in State Prisons.... CONSTITUTION OF THE PRISON DISCIPLINE SOCIETY. ARTICLE 1. This Society shall be called the PRISON DISCIPLINE SOCIETY. ART. 2. It shall be the object of this Society to promote the improvement of Public Prisons. ART. 3. It shall be the duty of this Society to take measures for effecting the formation of one or more Prison Discipline Societies in each of the United States, and to coöperate with all such Societies in accomplishing the object specified in the second article of this Constitution. ART. 4. Any Society, having the same object in view, which shall become auxiliary to this, and shall contribute to its funds, shall thereby secure for the Prisons, in the State where such Society is located, special attention from this Society. ART. 5. Each subscriber of two dollars, annually, shall be a Member. ART. 6. Each subscriber of thirty dollars, at one time, shall be a Member for Life. ART. 7. The officers of this Society shall be a President, as many VicePresidents as shall be deemed expedient, a Treasurer, and a Secretary, to be chosen annually, and a Board of Managers, whose duty it shall be to conduct the business of the Society. This Board shall consist of six clergymen and six laymen, of whom six shall reside in the city of Boston, and five shall constitute a quorum. The Managers shall call special meetings of the Society, and fill such vacancies as may occur by death or otherwise in their own Board. ART. 8. The President, Vice-Presidents, Treasurer, and Secretary, shall be, ex officio, Members of the Board of Managers. ART. 9. The annual meetings of this Society shall be held in Boston, on the week of the General Election, when, besides choosing the officers as specified in the seventh article, the accounts of the Treasurer shall be presented, and the proceedings of the foregoing year reported. ART. 10. The Managers shall meet at such time and place, in the city of Boston, as they shall appoint. ART. 11. At the meetings of the Society, and of the Managers, the President, or, in his absence, the Vice-President first on the list then present, and, in the absence of the President and of all the Vice-Presidents, such Member as shall be appointed for that purpose, shall preside. ART. 12. The Secretary, in concurrence with two of the Managers, or, in the absence of the Secretary, any three of the Managers, may call special meetings of the Board. ART. 13. The minutes of every meeting shall be signed by the Chairman or Secretary. ART. 14. No alteration shall be made in this Constitution except by the Society, at an annual meeting, on the recommendation of the Board of Managers ANNUAL MEETING. 1851. THE Twenty-Sixth Annual Meeting of the Prison Discipline Society was held in Park Street Vestry, on Monday, May 26, at 12 o'clock, M. The President, Hon. SAMUEL A. ELIOT, took the chair, and called on the Rev. WILLIAM JENKS to open the meeting, with reading the Scriptures and prayer. In accordance with this request, the Rev. Dr. JENKS read the first three verses of the 41st Psalm. "1. Blessed is he that considereth the poor: the LORD will deliver him in time of trouble. "2. The LORD will preserve him, and keep him alive; and he shall be blessed upon the earth: and thou wilt not deliver him unto the will of his enemies. "3. The LORD will strengthen him upon the bed of languishing: thou wilt make all his bed in his sickness." Having read this portion of Scripture, Dr. JENKS offered prayer. The records of the corresponding meeting of the last year were then read by the Secretary; also, the records of the last meeting of the Board of Managers. The first item of business, after reading the records, was the election of officers. For this purpose, a committee of two, viz., Hon. HENRY B. ROGERS and Dr. WM. R. LAWRENCE, was appointed to distribute, collect, and count the votes. The votes being counted, it was found that the officers of the preceding year were elected, with the addition to the Board of Managers of RICHARD GIRDLER. (See list of officers, at the close of the Report.) The second item of business was the presentation of the Treasurer's Report, by Mr. JABEZ C. Howe, the Auditor, which was read by the President, together with the certificate of the Auditor, Mr. HOWE; which report, as thus read, was accepted, and referred to the committee on the Report of the Board of Managers, to be printed. The third item of business was the presentation of the Report of the Board of Managers. This was done by the Secretary, and an abstract of the same was read. The report, an abstract of which was read, was referred, to be printed, with such additions and modifications as they should see fit, to the committee which was appointed to prepare it. The fourth item of business was the consideration and decision of the question, whether there should be a Public Annual Meeting, and the question was decided, in accordance with the opinion and wishes of the Board of Managers, in the negative. After prayer by the Rev. ALBERT HOPKINS, of Williams College, the Society adjourned. ANNUAL REPORT. MAY 26, 1851. THE Managers of the Prison Discipline Society, with grateful acknowledgment of the divine goodness, present their Twenty-Sixth Annual Report. In this acknowledgment of the divine goodness, we notice with gratitude, in looking over the list of two hundred and fifty-eight of the Officers, Life Directors, and Life Members of the Society, but a single new name, against which we must place an asterisk. It is the name of SARAH WALDO. She had remained on earth more than fourscore years. She wrote her own name with a steady hand, and her usual liberal annual subscription to the Society, a few months since; she had made her last will and testament, leaving liberal bequests to many important objects of benevolence; she had outlived her only brother, and two of her three sisters, and departed from earth a few weeks since. We have lost a most steadfast and liberal friend, whose age had not prevented her from giving her countenance and support, annually, to this Society. She seemed unwearied in well doing; never reluctant to be called upon for charitable aid; and not to think of herself otherwise than as a servant of her Lord. How many hearts have her benevolence, constancy, long life, and charity, filled with gratitude and joy, thanksgiving, praise, and prayer! How many of the servants of God will meet her in heaven, as a great friend and benefactor, who devoted herself, as long as she lived, to the service of her Savior! It was beautiful to see her, when more than fourscore years, firm as a rock, bright as the young, and as good as shecould be, so far as the human eye could see; and, at the same time, as humble and contrite as if she had never performed a good action-casting herself, wholly and gratefully, on the salvation and grace which are in Jesus Christ. Not included in the list above named, among the other friends and annual subscribers, numbering about two hundred and fifty, there have been three deaths, viz.: Samuel Salisbury, George Trott, and Robert Appleton. Last year we had eleven deaths; this year we have had, to our knowledge, but four deaths. We have reason, therefore, for gratitude to God for his preserving mercy. With this notice of departed friends, we proceed to the following ARRANGEMENT OF THE REPORT. PART I. VALUABLE DOCUMENTS. PART II. NEW BUILDINGS. PART III. HOUSES OF REFUGE AND STATE REFORM SCHOOLS. PART IV. STATE PRISONS AND PENITENTIARIES. PART V. INSANE ASYLUMS. PART VI. CORRESPONDENCE. APPENDIX. |