Bedfordshire Archives Service Catalogue
  • Reference
    QGR2/3/2/9
  • Title
    Annual Report of the Prison Governor Robert Evan Roberts to the Michaelmas Quarter Sessions. Includes the following (extracts only):
  • Date free text
    17 October 1864
  • Production date
    From: 1864 To: 1864
  • Scope and Content
    Numbers of prisoners in custody 144. Assessment of tables (not shown) giving prisoner statistics. I would again beg to call the attention of the Court to the frequent committal to prison of tramps and strangers, under what is termed The Criminal Justice Act, there having been 85 of these committals during the year and several of them had been in prison over and over again in different parts of the country. The fact of their having been in prison before was entirely unknown either to the Committing Magistrate or the police, and was not discovered until after the prisoners committal to prison....It frequently happens that old itinerant thieves - availing themselves of the leniency of the magistrates and of the power they have under this Act - plead guilty, thus submitting to the disposal of their case at Petty Sessions rather than be sent for trail at Assizes of County Sessions, and by this means the most accomplished and adept in crime avoid having theor antecedants more closely investigated and theor previous character exposed, where they too often get off with a short term of imprisonment and are thereby enabled to return more speedily to their old habits and former course of life. The nature of the offence is not always the criterion of the amount of punishment to be awarded, and I would therefore respectfully suggest that when persons are apprehended for offences liable to prosecution under this Act and who are strangers and unknown to the police, that they should either be remanded and committed for trial, so as to allow time for enquiries to be made respecting their previous history and character. 56 County Court Debtors opposed to 87 last year. There are 70 Government Convicts. The majority of these men have behaved well, whilst others, principally old penal servitude men have been guilty of assaults upon the officers and other acts of insubordination. There has been an attempt at suicide by a prisoner TS awaiting trial who had been in prison only 6 days, but whether real or feigned it is difficult for me to determine, I am , however, judging from what occurred, induced to expect the latter. He was found in his cell during the dinner hour on the 11th instant, bleeding from wound in the throat, which he had made with his dinner knife. Upon enteruing the cell a contrivance was also discovered giving the idea he had previously attempted to hang himself, but the means resorted to were not calculated to bear teh weight of a man, and had consequently given way under the strain it had been subjected to. The prisoner has sustained no injury beyond a slight surface wound in his throat, which with the instrument he employed might easily have proved much more serious had he been so inclined; and as in most cases of feigned attempts the time chosen was when he was certain of being visited by an officer. I have received a circular letter withinthe last few days from the Committee of the Reformatory & Refuge Union,. calling the attention of the authorities of the various prisons throughout thr country to the question of tehor discharge, with the view of promoting their reformation and enabling them to enter into an honest life. I am convinced if such a Society existed in this County much good would result from it as there are frequent instances of persons passing the threshold of our prison on thier discharge miserably clad and penniless, having neither home nor friends to go to, n who in a few days, and in many instances in a few hours, return again, having been led by hunger and destitution to commit some fresh offence for the purpose of getting food, clothing and shelter. 8 boys have been removed to reformatories during the year. James Knapton and Samuel Bates have been remmoved to the Contact Depot at Nottingham by order of the Secretary of State. Samuel Tavener an often convicted thief who was semtenced topenal servitude and discharged on licence in July last having six months of his original sentence remitted was recommitted to prison on 27th September for drunkennes. His licence revoked.
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