In this prison for the previous year, with a like staff of 36 officers, and with a daily average of 405 prisoners, the average cost per prisoner was £19 12s. 10d.
The highest average cost for 1876-7 was, as in the previous year, at the Lincoln County Prison, where, with a total staff of 9, and a daily average of 12 prisoners, the average cost per prisoner was £107 10s. 11d. The average cost for the previous year, with a staff of 9 officers and a daily average of 9 prisoners, £133 19s. 10d. per prisoner.
The average cost per prisoner, in the following 13 prisons, in the year 1876-7, exceeded in each case the sum of £50—namely, Wisbeach; Hertford, County; St. Alban’s, County; Great Stukely, County; Newgate, City and County; Peterborough, Liberty; Oakham, County; Bury St. Edmund’s, County; Ripon, Liberty; Beaumaris, County; Cardigan, County; Dolgelly, County; and Presteign, County Prison.
The average cost per prisoner in the following four prisons, in addition to the three previously mentioned, in the year 1876-7 was in each case under £20—namely, Devonport, Borough, £19 16s. 3d.; Kirkdale, County, £18 1s. 3d.; Liverpool, Borough, £18 2s. 2d.; and Manchester City Prison, £17 16s. 7d. The different sources from which the prison expenses for the year were defrayed, and the amount received from each were as follows:—
From prison receipts, inclusive of profits of prisoners’ labour, £64,855, or 11·0 per cent. of the total amount from local rates and funds was 69·1 per cent. total, and from public funds £116,769 or 19·9 per cent. of total.
The principal and proportions for the year 1875-6, under various heads, were, from prison receipts, £65,387, from local rates, &c., £400,712, and from revenues £110,300.
It will be seen by the foregoing statistics that the criminal population of the United Kingdom absorbs a vast amount of money annually from the pockets of the ratepayers for the maintainence of convicts.
This is a lamentable state of things, but under existing circumstances there is no help for it.
After the rules had been read, Peace and his fellow-prisoners were ordered in batches of four or five into some cells, each man having given to him previously a loaf of bread and a piece of cheese of excellent quality.
Here Peace was kept for a long time, but he could hear that the officials had returned and were engaged with the fresh arrivals he had for his companions—three ruffians of the very worst type—these being indeed, London thieves, and he had as little to say to them as possible.