Chapter I: The Meaning of "prison Reform." 1

"Prison Reform"--a phrase of many meanings. The aim of the
modern prison administration. The prison population. Influences
operating for "reform" in prisons--religious services, visitation,
education, lectures and addresses, summary of weekly news of the
world, &c. No 'law of silence' strictly so-called: talking exercise in
prisons, &c. Non-criminal persons committed under special legislation
during the war--the prison system not intended for such. Officers of
prisons and their power of influence for good. The special categories of
the Borstal lad, and the 'habitual offender' at Camp Hill. The three
directions along which 'prison reform' might proceed,--the organization
and development of Probation: the extension of the principle of
Preventive Detention to the Penal Servitude system: the co-ordination
of preventive efforts.

CHAPTER. II.--THE PRISON COMMISSION: OFFENCES, AND PUNISHMENTS. 18

Constitution of Prison Board. Establishments under control of Prison
Board. The criminal law and its a administration, punishments, &c.
Probation Act, 1907. Court of Criminal Appeal.

CHAPTER III.--THE HISTORY OF PENAL SERVITUDE. 23

History of Transportation. Pentonville Prison. Public Works. Penal
Servitude Act, 1857. Progressive Stage System. The Irish System.
Royal Commission, 1863. The Penal Servitude Act, 1864. Mark
System introduced. Habitual Criminals Act, 1869. Prevention of
Crimes Act, 1871. The Royal Commission, 1878. The Star Class. Fall
in convict population.

CHAPTER IV.--PENAL SERVITUDE TO-DAY. 39

The Inquiry of 1894. Progressive Stage System recast. New classification
of 1905. Weakminded convicts. Separate Confinement, history
of. Changes in system under the Act of 1898. Corporal punishment.
Penal Servitude for Women.

CHAPTER V.--PREVENTIVE DETENTION. 49

Definition of professional criminals. Proposed Habitual Offenders'
Division. The Act of 1908. Camp Hill Prison. Rules for treatment
of prisoners. Release on Licence. Statistics of Releases. The
Advisory Committee. The Intention of the System.

CHAPTER VI.--IMPRISONMENT. 59

Houses of Correction. Local Prisons and their administration. The
phrase 'Hard Labour.' Howard and English Prisons. The Act of
1778 and separate confinement. Jeremy Bentham and the 'Panopticon.'
Classification under the Act of 1823. Mr. Crawford's visit to U.S.A.
Classification, the leading principle of reform. Inquiries of 1832 and
1836. Auburn and Philadelphian systems. The Act of 1839 and
separate confinement. The model prison at Pentonville. Local Prisons
and the control of Secretary of State. Surveyor-General appointed.
Separate Confinement and Hard Labour, and the objects of imprisonment.
Committee of 1850 and uniformity. Prison Act, 1865. Uniformity not
secured. Centralization of Prisons under Act of 1877. Powers of
Justices under. Classification and the objects and effect of Act of 1877.

CHAPTER VII.--THE INQUIRY OF 1894: THE PRISON ACT 1898: AND
THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE ADMINISTRATION ACT, 1914. 75

Appointment of Committee and its report. Public opinion and the
treatment of crime. Subsequent reforms in system. Retirement of Sir
E. Du Cane and appointment of Sir E. Ruggles-Brise. Prison Rules
and Administration. Triple Division and individualisation of prisoners.
Part-payment of fines. Corporal punishment. Power to earn remission
of sentence. Gratuity and remission of sentence.

CHAPTER VIII.--BORSTAL SYSTEM. 85

Its Origin. Statistics of youths committed annually. The Committee
of 1894. The Colony at Stretton, 1815. "The Philanthropic Institution."
The Reformatory School Act, 1854. The Colony of Mettray.
The Age of 16 and criminal majority. Visit to the American State
Reformatory at Elmira. The London Prison Visitors' Association, and
first experiments at Borstal: the features of the early System.
Representation to Secretary of State. Statutory effect given to System
in 1908. The Institution for males and females to-day. "Modified
System" and Borstal Committee System in Convict Prisons. The
Borstal System, and its extension under the Criminal Justice
Administration Act, 1914.

CHAPTER IX.--THE HANDMAIDS OF THE PRISON SYSTEM. 101

(1) THE CHILDREN ACT, 1908.

(2) THE PROBATION ACT, 1907.

(1) The Children Act, and age of criminal responsibility. Juvenile
Courts, statistics of. Physically and mentally defective children.
The Elementary Education (Defective and Epileptic Children) Acts,
1899 and 1914. Juvenile Employment Bureaux and Labour Exchanges.
The Elementary Education Act 1918. The Value of Voluntary personal
service directed to the young.

(2) The Provisional Sentence abroad. The English law of Probation:
Extent of its application: the Law prior to 1907. Difficulties of
comparison of the various Systems. Probation in State of New York:
Direct control and supervision by the State.

CHAPTER X.--FEMALE OFFENDERS. 114

The fall in committals to prison. The heavy rate of Recidivism.
Formation of the Lady Visitors' Association, its duties, &c. The
Borstal System at Aylesbury, and the work of the Ladies' Committee
of the Borstal Association. The "Modified" Borstal System; Instructions
regulating the class; Extension of Borstal System under
Criminal Justice Administration Act, 1914. Female recidivism, and the
need for adoption of the principle of the reformatory sentence, and
the formation of a State Reformatory. Superintendence and control of
female prisoners by women.

CHAPTER XI.--EDUCATIVE, MORAL AND RELIGIOUS INFLUENCES
IN PRISON. 124

Education in prisons before Education Act, 1870: comparative statistics
of degree of education of prisoners: large number of illiterate
prisoners: present system of education and teaching staff: prison
libraries, lectures, debates, missions: the work of Chaplains.

CHAPTER XII.--LABOUR IN ENGLISH PRISONS. 131

Changes in system due to reduction of convicts. Less Public Works
labour. Competition with free labour. Contract system unknown in
English Prisons. Character of present work in Convict Prisons.
Medical census of convicts' fitness for work. The last Public Works,
Dover Harbour. Character of Convict Prison labour approximating
more to that of Local Prisons. Inquiry of 1863, and labour in Local
Prisons. 'Hard Labour' of two classes. The Prison Act, 1877.
Abolition of unproductive labour, and inquiry of 1894. Revision of
Labour Statistics. Improvement in output of manufacture since 1896.
Unskilled labour. Reorganization of female labour, 1911. Work for
Government Departments. Work during the War. The work of
Juvenile-Adult prisoners.