I 00 



Proceedings of Public Societies. 



[Sept. I, 



inanity of <lie present ago forliids the ex- 

 ecution oitlie ^'eatcr j)art ot'tln'sc laws, 

 the uncertainty of their operation cn- 

 C(inrai::cs the oliender lo calculate, even 

 ifeonvictcd, on a ntitiijafcd pnuisiunent. 

 Bat, if the laws have no tendency lo 

 Iircvent crime, it is truly shocking to 

 ^^it^e.ss the direct faeililies which the 

 vicious inclinations of the delincjncnt re- 

 ceive from the system on which the po- 

 lice of tile nictnipoiis is lunv conducted. 

 'I'he siun to whicli the oHieer is entitled, 

 on the conviction of a prisoner, for the 

 jiiost aggravated of the capital oifences, 

 is forty pounds. 'J'he practice of holding 

 out rewards for the apprehension of 

 criminals, in jiroportion to the enormity 

 of tlieir guilt, stimulates the olliccr to 

 ovcrloi)k the minor depredations of the 

 incipient thief; and often might theyoutli 

 Le early arrested in his course, hut for 

 the principle on which it becomes the 

 interest of the officer, that the young of- 

 fender should continue in iniipiity until 

 lie attains maturity in crime. 'I'he en- 

 couragenieut which the ollicers of police 

 give to those pestiferous haunts, termed 

 ^'Jimh houses," to wliicli thieves are ac- 

 customed to resort, is a very serious evil. 

 In these nurseries of crime arc to be 



robberies connnitted in and about Lpn^ 

 don were planned in the prisons." He 

 furtlicr adds, " that, if it were llie aim 

 and wish ol' magistrates to effect the <le- 

 struction, present and future, of young, 

 delinquents, they couldnot devise a moro 

 effectual method than to confine tiiem so 

 long in our prisons, those scats and semi- 

 naries, as they have been properly cal- 

 led, of idleness and every vice." Shice 

 tlie period in which that great character 

 exposed the i)ievailing system of jirisoii 

 discipline in this conntiy,it is lamentable 

 to consider the little alteration tliat has 

 taken i)lace in the prisons of London. 

 "In tiiese abodes," to adojit the lau-^ 

 guago of an eminent modern writer, 

 "emulation is excited oidy to excel in 

 crime, and all are soon raised to an 

 equality tlieicin. Tlic ferocious insjjire 

 others with their ferocity, the cunning 

 with their cunning, and the debauche^l 

 with their libertinism. Every thing tliat 

 can corrupt tiie heart becomes the 

 amusement of their idleness, and the rcr 

 source of their despair.'' 



Dreadful, therefore, is the situation of 

 the young oliender: he becomes the vic- 

 tim of circumstances over which he has 

 no control. The laws of' his coviitnj 



found the most experienced and noto- operate uul to restrain, hut to pjniish, him, 

 lious thieves; boys and girls, from nine The tcndowy of the police is to accele- 



vears of age; women of the most profli- 

 gate description ; associating indiscrimi- 

 nately, and mixing with the very men, 

 who arc employed for tlie preservation 

 of public morals. 



'i'he Committee, in prosecuting their 

 jiKpiiries, have freqnoiitly visited the 

 ])risoiis of the metro|>oIis. This part of 

 Ihi'ir <Iuty has often |iio\cd to them pain- 

 I'ul and licart-reiiding. 'j'hc mere sight 

 of so many jouths, under such circum- 

 stances, whose talents, if properly di- 

 rected, would iiuve (jualified them lo 

 become vaUialjIc menihers of the com- 

 iiiuiiily, is in itself sullicient to inspire 

 the njost inconsiderate vxith thonghtful- 

 ncss; but, if tiio spectacle a!(>ne has ex- 

 cited the regret of the Committee, their 

 sorrow has been much enhanced by the 

 conviction, that to t!)c defective system 

 of discipline, which exi.sts in the prisons 

 of Loiidon, the c\il of Javenile Delin- 

 ♦(ucncy owes in a great measure its ag- 

 ^Tavaiion. in these establishments, the 

 youth committed for his first ofiencc has 

 heen ]>lncecl indiscritiiiiiately with har- 

 dened criminals. Those, whose guilt 

 l)as been donlitliil, have had no means of 

 avoiding the society of others, whose of- 

 fences have bec.-i p'oved. It was said by 

 the ,}lkiitiious lioward^ that "half llic 



rate his career in criinr. If, when ap- 

 prehended, lie ha.s not attained the full 

 jiieasure of guilt, the natme of his con- 

 fniement is almost sure lo complete it; 

 and discharged, as he frequently is, pejo- 

 nytess, without friends, character, or em- 

 em|)loymenl, he is driven, for a subsis- 

 tence, to the renewal of depredations. 



Of the many boys, whose cases have 

 been investigated by IlieCommittee, they 

 have met with very few of whoseamrnd- 

 meul they should despair by the applica- 

 tion of proper means. Small indeed is 

 the number of those, in whom the sen.sc 

 of virtue is wiiolly extinct— who do not 

 retain some jiortion of valuable feeling — 

 some latent seed, which, if judiciously 

 cherished, would llourish and expand. 



The f Mincing brief Outline of a feu- Cases ii 

 given, in order to cmvei/ a general Idea of 

 the Characters that kuce come under the 



Entice of the Siicitty. 



A. B. aged 13 years. His parents are 

 living. He was but for a short lime at 

 scUoiil. His I'ailier was frequently intoxi- 

 cated ; and, on these occa-sions, {he son ge- 

 nerally Iclt home, aiitl associated with bad 

 characters, vxlio iiitioduced Uiin to houses 

 of ill fame, vihere tiicy {jambled until tlicy 

 had spent or lost all tlieir money. This 

 boy kas been five yeais in the cennnissrnn 



of 



