First. Those eminent men and close observers, De Beaumont and De Tocqueville, who visited this country from France, a few years after the opening of our Eastern Penitentiary, for the purpose of examining into the character of our institutions generally, in their work, entitled “Du Système Pénitentiaire Aux Etats-Unis”
(the Penitentiary System in the United States), give some very satisfactory views with regard to the working of our Penitentiary, where they spent considerable time, visiting all the prisoners by permission of the authorities, and remaining in their cells in private sufficiently long to obtain from the inmates a knowledge of the practical working of the system upon them. This work, in the original French, and also an English translation of it, by Professor Francis Lieber, himself eminent as a close observer, and deep thinker on the subject of penal laws and penal institutions, and their systems of discipline, are to be found in the Society’s Library. The translation is accompanied by some very valuable Notes by the translator, and in an Appendix to it there is an Essay, by the same, treating specially on the “Pennsylvania System,” republished from the Encyclopædia Americana. A small volume, entitled, “Prisons and Prisoners,” by Joseph Kingsmill, chaplain of the “Pentonville Prison,” near London, conducted very much upon our system, is well worth reading. We would also refer to an elaborate “Essay on Cellular Separation,” written by our fellow-member, William Parker Foulke, under appointment by “the American Association for the improvement of Penal and Reformatory Institutions,” and read before that Association at the Annual Meeting, held in New York, in the autumn of 1860, as being an able exposition of our system. This Essay was published by our Society soon after its preparation.
Misstatements corrected.—In this connection, it is due to the cause of truth to say that Charles Dickens, the novelist, in his report of his visit to the Eastern Penitentiary, contained in his “American Notes,” makes representations so palpably erroneous, as to appear to those familiar with that institution and its government
to be absolutely absurd. But as he uses the form of a direct reference to particular cases, strangers will more readily than they otherwise would adopt his statements as setting forth the truth. It should be remembered, however, that the celebrity to which this author has attained, is as a writer of “fiction,” not of truthful narrative or history. In this instance, (possibly without being aware of it), he has maintained the consistency of his literary character. The late William Peter, the worthy consul of Great Britain, residing in this city, soon after the book of Dickens was published, made a personal examination into each of the cases referred to, and in a letter to the late Job R. Tyson, thoroughly refuted the misrepresentations.
Application for County Prison granted.—In 1831, the Legislature provided for the sale of the Walnut Street Prison, and for the erection of a largely increased number of cells in the Eastern Penitentiary, so as to be prepared for the reception of the inmates of the former. The Society being apprehensive that the principle of separation might be interfered with by the sudden introduction of so large a number of prisoners, memorialized the Legislature to have another prison erected on the same principle, for the use of the county. A law was soon after passed, providing for the erection of one for the use of the city and county of Philadelphia, capable of holding at least three hundred prisoners, on the principle of separate confinement.
Bad condition of County Prisons.—The receptions into the Eastern Penitentiary from other parts of the State, afforded constant evidence of the miserable condition of the County Prisons. The prisoners received from them were so injured by the abuses and bad management and arrangements prevailing there, that it was very
difficult to maintain the consistency of the Penitentiary discipline, or to secure its legitimate results in such cases, and it was, therefore, deemed essential that the system of separation for all classes of commitments should be introduced into all the County Prisons, and in 1832 a Committee of the Society was appointed to investigate the condition of these prisons throughout the State.
Matrons.—In 1833, the Society represented to the Prison Inspectors, the propriety of appointing matrons to have charge of the female prisoners.
Public Executions.—In 1834, the views of the Society were met, by the passage of an act requiring all sentences of death to be executed within the walls, or yard of the jail, limiting the number and character of the witnesses allowed to be present, and forbidding the attendance of any person under age.
Care in relation to the New County Prison.—Early in the year 1835, the new County Prison being nearly ready to be occupied, the Society became much interested in the system of discipline to be there adopted; for though the Act itself provided for individual separation, it was feared that the character of the prisoners to be received might lead to a relaxation of this essential principle. They, therefore, appointed a committee to take the matter in charge.