1019

and straightforward lines so as to enable learners of fair intelligence to carry them out with some skilled assistance ; and in this way it has been found possible to execute a large part of the work on the new buildings by the labour of the iyoung prisoners. The brickwork done by the lads looked, iat least to the unprofessional eye, quite as good as that laid l

by contract labour; and the carpentry and metal-work, 1

though, of course, rather rough, seemed to be of very fair quality. The boys for the most part appeared to be genuinelyinterested in what they were doing and punishment for idleness and inattention is very rarely called for. i

Discipline.-The inmates of the reformatory are classified iin three grades-ordinary, special, and penal. On admission the newcomer is placed in the ordinary grade, in which he Jremains until he has earned promotion by industry and good ibehaviour to the special grade, or unless he incurs degrada- ition to the penal class on account of misconduct. A prisoner iin the special grade enjoys a number of small privileges of the sort that are likely to appeal to a boy’s ambition ; his lcell is better furnished and he is allowed to ornament it with ]photographs and small pictures sent him by his friends ; he has more frequent letters and visits; and he is permitted to associate every day at recreation with others in his grade and ]to read in his cell for half an hour after the regular bedtime. 4

Prisoners become eligible for promotion to this grade when 1

they have earned a certain number of marks for industry and for conduct, the marks for industry being awarded by the itrade instructors and those for conduct by the ward officers lunder the supervision of the higher officials. A committee,consisting of the governor, medical officer, and chaplain, looks after the working of this system and decides on the fitness of the prisoner for promotion when he has earned the 1

necessary number of marks. This committee has full discre- ition in deciding whether a prisoner is to be admitted to, orremoved from, the special grade. Prisoners who by continuedgood conduct have retained their position in this grade forseveral months and who are considered fit for the privilegeare allowed to work without being under immediate super- 1

vision, or, if shortly due for release, may be employed atlabour outside the walls of the reformatory. These dis- tinctions are found to create a spirit of healthy emulationamongst the boys ; and it is rather interesting to note thatthey seem to appeal with special force to some of the ex-leaders of hooligan gangs whose ambitions when at liberty were directed to commanding the Silver Hatchet " or somesimilar association of youthful marauders.After-care.-No scheme for the reclamation of young

criminals can be effective without some means of supervisionand rehabilitation in honest life after discharge from prison.In the case of the Borstal system this is provided by a bodyof philanthropic persons known as the Borstal Association,who get into touch with the boys some months before theirrelease and make arrangements for their employment whenthey come out of prison, keeping an eye on their conductand giving them advice and assistance during the difficultperiod of transition from restraint to freedom. The super-vision exercised in this way has hitherto been subject to thedisadvantage that it was not supported by any power ofcontrol over the ex-prisoner’s conduct; under the new lawthis defect has been remedied by the adoption of a systemof conditional release on license which may be revokedwhen the boy’s mode of life is not satisfactory. In thefuture, therefore, the Borstal Association will be in the

position of legal guardian to the juvenile-adults on license,and will thus be able to interfere actively when any of itscharges show signs of relapsing into the criminal habit. Thiswill be a difficult and responsible work, the successfulexecution of which will depend very largely on the tactand energy of the voluntary workers who cooperate in it.

Fortunately, the indefatigable honorary secretary of theassociation, Mr. W. Grant-Wilson, seems to have been ableto impart a share of his own zeal and enthusiasm to all hiscoadjutors, so that there is every reason to anticipate thatthis most important adjunct of the Borstal system willcontinue to work as satisfactorily as in the past.The number of prisoners who have been brought under the

Borstal discipline is still, of course, comparatively limited,but when adequate reformatory accommodation is availableand when the courts begin to make use of the powers con-ferred by the Prevention of Crime Act a very large numberof committals may be expected. The 140 boys now underdetention are for the most part London thieves and hooligans.When seen on parade or at work in the shops these youths,

except for their prison dress, are in the lump quite indis-tinguishable from any scratch collection of adolescents ofthe urban working class. In the faces of only a veryfew is there anything in the least suggestive of an

inferiority of type; and the medical officer, Dr. A. C.Pearson, who has an intimate knowledge of the ladsunder his care, considers that it is quite unusual toobserve any pronounced stigmata of degeneracy in the

young criminals sent to Borstal. This is due no doubt in

part to the fact that a good deal of care is taken in select-ing the boys who are to be submitted to this treatment,for it is fully realised that the admission of the feeble-minded and the morally idiotic to an institution designedfor the training of adolescents of normal aptitudes wouldimperil the success of the scheme. And here we may notein passing that the Borstal system, by the importance whichit thus gives to the preliminary examination into the mentalcapacity of the juvenile adults at the receiving prisons, islikely to promote very materially that study of individualpsychology which is what we most need at present for theadvancement of our knowledge of criminal man. When thescheme comes into operation on the larger scale contem-plated by the Prevention of Crime Act its influence in thisdirection will, of course, be proportionately increased, so

that, in addition to its intrinsic merits as a method ofreformatory discipline, the Borstal system should do muchin this country to stimulate the scientific spirit in crimino-logy.Of course, it is an essential condition of success in any

reformatory treatment that it should be applied during asufficient period of time, and on this account what is termedthe "full" " Borstal system, such as has been describedin this article, is not enforced in the case of prisonerswhose sentences are less than 12 months, and under the newAct this is also to be the minimum term of detention in aBorstal institution. It has been felt, however, that some ofthe Borstal methods, and more particularly the physicaltraining which is an essential feature of the system, mightbe applied also with advantage to young offenders under-going shorter sentences, and a modified form of the disciplineis accordingly enforced now in the case of all prisoners ofjuvenile-adult age. It is found that considerable improve-ment in physique very generally results from this treatmenteven when its application is limited to a few months ; andthis is so far satisfactory as showing the promptitude withwhich these lads react to the healthy influences which arelacking in their normal environment. It is not, however, tobe expected that the results achieved in this way can be atall comparable to those obtained from the full Borstal treat-ment ; and it is very desirable that judicial authoritiesshould realise this fact, and that they should come to

recognise that, at all events as a general rule, whenever itis necessary to send an adolescent to prison, it is well tosend him for a sufficient period of time to enable thecorrective influences of this disciplinary system to producetheir full effect.

___

ASYLUM REPORTS.

Cecmberland and TVestmorland L2onatie Asylum (Reportfor the year 1908).-The average number of patientsresident for 1908 was 803, of whom 415 were men and 388were women. The direct admissions numbered 170, andnine persons were admitted from other asylums. Thenumber of patients discharged was 79, and of these 60 wererecovered and 19 relieved. The proportion of recoveriescalculated on the number of direct admissions was 40 ’ 6 percent. Deaths numbered 68 and the death-rate, calculatedon the daily average number resident, was 8’ 3 per cent.Dr. W. F. Farquharson, the medical superintendent, drawsattention to the importance of the findings of the RoyalCommission on the Care of the Feeble-minded. By thesuggested provisions of that Commission all mentally defec-tive persons would be kept under proper control and super-vision, trained to do useful work, and, if necessary, keptpermanently apart from the rest of the community. The costof the scheme would at first be great, but there can be nodoubt that its adoption would be of benefit to the communityand would eventually lead to a saving to the ratepayers.

Lincolnshire County Asylum, Kesteven (Report for theyear 1908).-To this asylum 75 cases were admitted, 66 ofthese being direct admissions. The total number of patients

1020

under treatment during the year was 448. 37 patients weredischarged, of whom 27 had recovered, giving on the directadmissions nearly 41 per cent. of recoveries. Deathsnumbered 31, which gives a percentage of 8’13, calculatedon the average number resident. The average age at deathwas 58. It appears that hereditary predisposition was evenmore frequently assigned as a cause of illness than in pastyears, and in over 50 per cent. of those admitted this factorhad to be taken into account.

Asylum for the Counties of Salop and Montgonaery and for the Borough of Wenlook (Report for the year 1908).-During this year 976 patients were under treatment. Theadmissions numbered 197 ; of these 48 were readmissions and17 transfers from other asylums. The discharges numbered96. Of these 74 were discharged recovered, and of thesepatients 76 per cent. had been resident for less than 12months. The deaths were 75 in number, the percentageon the average number resident being 9-49. At the endof the year there were resident 29 more patients than accom-modation was provided for, and in addition to this a largenumber of patients have had to be boarded out. It appears,however, that the problem of providing further accommoda-tion in the asylum itself is no nearer solution, as the proposedpurchase of the Copthorne estate for this purpose has beenvetoed by the Secretary of State.Nottingham City Asylum, Mapperley Hill (Report for

the year 1908).-The average daily number residentat this asylum for last year was 827. There were

admitted during the year 171 patients. The dischargesnumbered 103, of whom 64 had recovered, this giving apercentage of 39 on the admissions. Deaths numbered 80,giving a percentage of 9’6 of the average number resident.It appears that the number of senile cases admitted was

comparatively great, 18 persons being above 65 years of age.Mr. Evan Powell, the resident medical superintendent, writesthat it might be regarded as absurd and wrong to send suchcases to an asylum, but that as a fact such patients constitutea troublesome class requiring the constant attention of thenurses, and that at present the only alternative to keepingsuch persons at home is to place them in an asylum. Theworkhouses may be said to be the proper place, but theworkhouses have not the requisite staff or the accom-

modation.Hertfordshire County Asylum, Hill End, St. Albans

(Report for the year 1908).-At this asylum the totalnumber of cases under treatment was 717. There were 145admissions, of whom 81 were first attack cases. The dis-

charges numbered 50, of whom 42 were discharged re-

covered. The recoveries from cases directly admittednumbered 39, and the proportion this number bears to thenumber of direct admissions is 29’1 1 per cent. The deathsnumbered 43, being a percentage of 7 - 12 on the averagedaily number on the register. The extension works werecompleted in March last and give accommodation to 234patients.

Barn,,zley Hall Asylum (Report for the year 1908).-The total number of cases under treatment at this asylumwas 514. The admissions numbered 230, and Dr. P. T.

Hughes reports that the character of the cases admitted wassuch that the prospect of recovery appeared unusually un-favourable. More than one-third of the first attack caseswere aged 60 years and upwards and six were over 80 yearsof age. The unsuitability of many of the cases which are atthe present time sent to asylums because there is no properaccommodation for them elsewhere has been referred to bythe Commission upon the Feeble-minded. The report ofthat Commission says: "We find lunatic asylums crowded ;,with patients who do not require the careful hospital treat-ment that well-equipped asylums now afford and who mightbe treated in many other ways more economically and asefficiently." Dr. Hughes further points out that defectiveheredity being so potent a factor in the causation of insanityit has become a serious and difficult problem as to how best tocope with the evil. ’’ The physiological laws which govern thereproduction of sound stock are the same for both man andanimal, yet few of the elaborate precautions taken to securesound pedigree stock find a counterpart in the reproductionof the human race. Sentimental and legal reasons insistupon the discharge of individuals from asylums as

’recovered,’ who appear to be sane whilst surrounded bythe specially adapted asylum environment but who are reallydeficient and unfitted to be the parents of children. It is a

matter for very serious consideration whether any patientwho has had more than one mental breakdown should be

given a further opportunity of reproducing defective stock."The discharges numbered 57, and the rate is low owing tothe unfavourable character of the admissions. The totalnumber of deaths was 51.

POOR-LAW AND HOSPITAL PROBLEMS INTHE SIXTEENTH CENTURY.

THERE are two problems which are much to the for&

to-day, and those two closely related-namely, relief of thepoor, with which may be placed Poor-law problems, and thequestion of hospital abuse. It is interesting to note thatthese two problems were a matter of nearly as much concernto the sixteenth century as to our own. Robert Copland, a,

printer and author who flourished 1508-1547, wrote amongother poems a piece called ’ The Hye Way to the SpyttellHous," which is cast in the form of a dialogue between him-self and the porter of a hospital, which from internalevidence would appear to be that of St. Bartholomew.Copland begins by saying that "about a fourtenightafter Halowmas" he chanced to come by a certain spyttelwhere, as it was raining and snowing, he thought itbest to take shelter in the porch. And as he stood there theporter of the house stood by him. They conversed, and it ispleasing to note that even then, like true Englishmen, theirconversation began on the subject of the weather, "withwhom I reasoned of many divers things, touching the courseof all such wetheringes," says Copland. As he stood there-

"......... there gathered at the gatePeople as me thought of every poore estate,With bag and staf, both cl’oktd lame and blind,Scabby and scurvy, pocke eaten flesh and rynde,Lowsy and scalde, and pylled like as apes,With scantly a rag for to cover theyr shapes,Brecheles, barefoted, all stynkyng with dirtWith M.l of tatters drabblyng to the skirt,Boyes, gyrles and luskysh strong knaves,Dydderyng and dadderyng, leaning on their stavesSaying : gode master for your moders blessingGive us a halfpenny toward our lodging."

Thereupon the porter rebuked them for begging, tellingthem-

" Ye shall be entreated as ye ought to be,For I am charged that dayly to seeThe systers shall do theyr observaunceAs of the hous is the due ordinance."

Copland then inquired if everyone who applied was taken in,and was especially curious about the vagrants whom he saidthat he was in the habit of seeing when he went out withthe watch: "I I wot not whether they be thieves or hoores,"

"

but whom he found full oft at the door of Saint BarthylmewsChurch, " or in the shepe cootes or even here always by thisbricke wall," and who oftentimes that they us se, they dorene a great deal faster than we." The porter replied thatsuch were certainly not taken in. Copland then inquiredwho were relieved, and the porter answered :-

" Forsoth they that be at such myschefThat for their lyving can do no labour,And have no frends to do them socour,As old people, seke and impotent,Poore women in childbed here have easement,Weyke men sore wounded by great vyolence,And sore men eaten with pockes and pestylence,And honest folk fallen in great povertyBy myschance or other infirmity ;Wayfaryng men, and maimed soldyours,Have theyre relief in thys poore hous of ours,And all others which we seme good and playne,Have here lodging far a nyght or twayne

* * * * *

But not every unseke stoborn knaveFor then we should over many have."

It will be seen from this that in these days St. Bartholomew’sfulfilled the double office of a hospital in the modern senseand of a Poor-law infirmary or casual ward. Care, however,was taken to keep out the impostors about whom Coplandnext asked, for the porter said, " No in soth, this hous is ofno such supporter." And he proceeds to give a delightfulaccount of such impostors, from which it will be seen thatthe art of counterfeiting disease is no new thing, although

1 i.e., a thousand.