Marlborough Express - Tuesday, July 23, 1895
This report was originally published in English. Machine translations may be available in other languages.
HARD LABOR IN ENGLISH PRISONS.
In a brief comment on the close of the trial of Oscar Wilde, the Daily Chronicle has said:—"His sentence, enforced as it will be by the severest rigors known to our abhorrent penal system, is virtually a sentence of death or of madness, a fate to which we confess we hesitate to condemn any human creature whatever." A correspondent next day asked what this meant, and he was enlightened as follows:—Two years' hard labor is the severest sentence, while it lasts, known to the English criminal law. It is a form of punishment never inflicted on criminals sentenced to penal servitude, inasmuch as it is calculated to produce madness amongst them. Nine months' separate confinement is as much as a convict gets, and is considered as much as his mind can stand. The Prisons Committee report that even nine months' separation often injuriously affect the nervous system, and recommend a reduction of the time. A prisoner under two years' hard labor may be kept during the whole time in the solitude of his cell, with the exception of one hour a day. During a portion of his detention he is allowed no ordinary reading books, has a wooden plank as a bed, and has to engage in occupation which the late Chairman of the Prison Board declares to be "irritating, depressing, and debasing to the mental faculties, and decidedly brutalising in its effects." So sever is this form of sentence considered to be, that many judges will not inflict it at all, and last year in a total of 160,000 short sentences, only 34 persons were committed for two years by the ordinary criminal courts.
In a brief comment on the close of the trial of Oscar Wilde, the Daily Chronicle said:—"His sentence, enforced as it will be by the severest rigors known to our abhorrent penal system, is virtually a sentence of death or madness, a fate to which we confess we hesitate to condemn any human creature whatever." A correspondent next day asked what this meant, and he was enlightened as follows:—Two years' hard labor is the severest sentence, while it lasts, known to the English criminal law. It is a form of punishment never inflicted on criminals sentenced to penal servitude, inasmuch as it is calculated to produce madness amongst them. Nine months' separate confinement is as much as a convict gets, and is considered as much as his mind can stand. The Prisons Committee report that even nine months' separation often injuriously affect the nervous system, and recommend a reduction of the time. A prisoner under two years' hard labor may be kept during the whole time in the solitude of his cell, with the exception of one hour a day. During a portion of his detention he is allowed no ordinary readiny books, has a wooden plank as a bed, and has to engage in occupation which the late Chairman of the Prison Board declares to be "irritating, depressing, and debasing to the mental faculties, and decidedly brutalising in its effects." So severe is this form of sentence considered to be, that many judges will not inflict it at all, and last year in a total of 160,000 short sentences, only 34 persons were committed for two years by the ordinary criminal courts.
In a brief comment on the close of the trial of Oscar Wilde, the Daily Chronicle said:—"His sentence, enforced as it will be by the severest rigors known to our abhorrent penal system, is virtually a sentence of death or of madness, a fate to which we confess we hesitate to condemn any human creature whatever." A correspondent next day asked what this meant, and he was enlightened as follows:—Two years' hard labour is the severest sentence, while it lasts, known to English criminal law. It is a form of punishment never inflicted on criminals sentenced to penal servitude, inasmuch as it is calculated to produce madness amongst them. Nine months' separate confinement is as much as a convict gets, and is considered as much as his mind can stand. The Prisons Committee report that even nine months' separation often injurious affect the nervous system and recommend a reduction of the time. A prisoner under two years' hard labour may be kept during the whole time in the solitude of his cell, with the exception of one hour a day. During a portion of his detention he is allowed no ordinary reading books, has a wooden plank as a bed, and has to engage in occupation which the late Chairman of the Prison Board declares to be "irritating, depressing, and debasing to the mental faculties, and decidedly brutalising in its effect." So severe is this form of sentence considered to be that many judges will not inflict it at all, and last year in a total of 160,000 short sentences, only 34 persons were committed for two years by the ordinary criminal courts.
A correspondent next day asked what this meant, and he was enlightened as follows:—"Two years' hard labor is the severest sentence, while it lasts, known to the English criminal law. It is a form of punishment which is never inflicted on convicts sentenced to penal servitude, inasmuch as it is calculated to produce madness amongst them. Nine months' separate confinement is as much as a convict gets, and is considered as much as his mind can stand. The Prisons' Committee report that even nine months' separation often injuriously affects the nervous system, and recommend a reduction of the time. A prisoner under two years' hard labor may be kept during the whole time in the solitude of his cell, with the exception of one hour a day. During a portion of his detention he is allowed no ordinary reading books, has a wooden plank as a bed, and has to engage in occupation which the late chairman of the Prison Board declares to be 'irritating, depressing, and debasing to the mental faculties, and decidedly brutalising in its effect.' So sever is this form of sentence considered to be that many judges will not inflict it at all, and last year in a total of 160,000 short sentences only thirty-four persons were committed for two years by the ordinary criminal court.
A correspondent next day asked what this meant, and he was enlightened as follows: "Two years' labor is the severest sentence, while it lasts, known to the English criminal law. It is a form of punishment which is never inflicted on convicts sentenced to penal servitude, inasmuch as it is calculated to produce madness amongst them. Nine months' separate confinement is as much as a convict gets and is considered as much as his mind can stand. The Prisons Committee report that even nine months' separation often injuriously affects the nervous system, and recommend a reduction of the time. A prisoner under two years' hard labor may be kept during the whole time in the solitude of his cell, with the exception of one hour a day. During a portion of his detention he is allowed no ordinary reading books, has a wooden plank as a bed, and has to engage in occupation which the late chairman of the Prison Board declares to be 'irritating, depressing, and debasing to the mental faculties, and decidedly brutalising in its effects.' So severe is this form of sentence considered to be that many judges will not inflict it at all, and last year in a total of 160,000 short sentences only thirty-four persons were committed for two years by the ordinary criminal courts."
A correspondent next day asked what this meant, and he was enlightened as as follows:—Two years' hard labour is the severest sentence, while it lasts, known to the English criminal law. It is a form of punishment which is never inflicted on convicts sentenced to penal servitude, inasmuch as it is calculated to produce madness amongst them. Nine months' separate confinement is as much as a convict gets, and is considered as much as his mind can stand. The Prisons Committee report that even nine months' separation often injuriously affect the nervous system, and recommend a reduction of the time. A prisoner under two years' hard labour may be kept during the whole time in the solitude of his cell, with the exception of one hour a day. During a portion of his detention he is allowed no ordinary reading books, has a wooden plank as a bed, and has to engage in occupation, which the late chairman of the Prison Board declares to be "irritating, depressing, and debasing to the mental faculties, and decidedly brutalising in its effect." So severe is this form of sentence considered to be that many judges will not inflict it at all, and last year in a total of 160,000 short sentences only thirty four persons were committed for two years by the ordinary criminal courts."
A correspondent next day asked what this meant, and he was enlightened as as follows:—Two years' hard labour is the severest sentence, while it lasts, known to the English criminal law. It is a form of punishment which is never inflicted on convicts sentenced to penal servitude, inasmuch as it is calculated to produce madness amongst them. Nine months' separate confinement is as much as a convict gets, and is considered as much as his mind can stand. The Prisons Committee report that even nine months' separation often injuriously affect the nervous system, and recommend a reduction of the time. A prisoner under two years' hard labour may be kept during the whole time in the solitude of his cell, with the exception of one hour a day. During a portion of his detention he is allowed no ordinary reading books, has a wooden plank as a bed, and has to engage in occupation, which the late chairman of the Prison Board declares to be "irritating, depressing, and debasing to the mental faculties, and decidedly brutalising in its effect." So severe is this form of sentence considered to be that many judges will not inflict it at all, and last year in a total of 160,000 short sentences only thirty four persons were committed for two years by the ordinary criminal courts."