^ o^
ON THE GAOLS, &c.
OF IRELAND.
BYE LAWS.
Amongst the powers placed in the hands of the Boards of Superintendence, the most important is that of framing bye-laws for the regulation of the prisons of the county, under the 4th section of the Act.
These bye-laws, when approved by the grand jury and sanctioned by the Court of King's Bench, are binding upon the magistracy and the high sheriff.
It therefore follows, that in any county in which a system of this nature is not in force, a great responsibility rests upon the Board.
We have the satisfaction to find, on our last tour of inspection, that a great progress has been made in the establishment of bye-laws.
But as the rules and regulations prepared by us may still be unknown in several counties, we extract the following passage from our Seventh Report.
" With a view to facilitate the formation of bye-laws, which require a full and *' comprehensive view of the principles of prison discipline in all its branches, we " have framed a system of iZw/es cwri i?eg'«toio«<?./br
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ofa Cozmify " GW, prepara?
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0/ 7 Geo.
IV.
c.
74.
These " rules have been maturely and carefully considered; they have received the " approbation of their lordships the Judges of the Court of King's Bench; and " have been submitted by us to the Boards of Superintendence of the several " counties throughout Ireland.
Since the circulation of these rules, we have the " satisfaction to find, that in some of our best regulated prisons, in which they " were found applicable to local circumstances, they have been established without " alteration.
In other counties differently circumstanced, they have been par-" tially adopted and embodied in their bye-laws.
In the circular communication " with which we accompanied these rules, we have been careful to explain to the *' Boards of Superintendence that we do not dictate regulations, and that the " result of our experience is thus offered for the purpose of assisting them in " the formation of the county rules.
But we trust that to whatever extent our " rules may or may not be adopted, another year may not be permitted, by any " county, to pass over without their having carried into effect the provisions of the *' Act on this most important point."
It is highly important that the rules laid down for conducting the daily routine, (Rules and Regulations, page 13.)
or such other form as the Board may direct, should be posted throughout each prison.
MILITARY GUARDS.
The removal of the Military Guards from the county gaols will, we trust, render the present year an important period in the history of prison discipline in Ireland.
The order for that purpose has, doubtless, added difficulty to the charge committed to the Boards of Superintendence.
Their responsibility becomes more serious; and they will, in a great many counties, find it indispensably necessary to adopt some effectual plan to compensate for the loss of this provision for the security of the prison.
In proportion, then, as such a necessity becomes obvious in those counties, do we hail the present moment as most critical in deciding the ultimate character of our system of prison discipline.
We are assured that the continuance of military guards was much calculated to perpetuate erroneous views on this interesting and important subject.
So little was it generally understood, that the only object contemplated in the government of a gaol seemed to be the prevention of escape or of open violence amongst the prisoners, not by vigilance or by the influence of moral training, but by bolts and bars, and by the resistance of an armed force.
Of such a system, the presence of a military guard was the best support; and we rejoice to see the support of such a system removed.
This change must inevitably correct an evil of which we have complained in every annual Report; viz.
the appointment of unqualified officers, who have kept down not only the practical system of their own gaols, but, in many cases, the views of the counties in which they are employed.
Persons who appoint 48.
B 2
1
