County Bridewell, Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire

A ward for men, and another for women. A dungeon down 9 steps, 13 feet by 91, and 6 feet 3 inches high: earth floor, very damp, no window: no chimney: no bedsteads: no straw. Keeper's salary, £20: no fees: has the profit of the prisoners work. They are sometimes employed in chopping rags. Allowance, a pound of bread a day.

Keeper, William Rogers, a Shoemaker. Salary, 20l. Fees 3s. 4d. and half profit of the Prisoners' work. At my visit in l804, they were employed in cutting rags; and the Keeper told me he allowed them three half-pence per thousand, and sold them at three-pence.

Number of Prisoners,

Allowance, one pound and a half of bread per day, cut from the Keeper's loaf. It would be better if the bread were sent in loaves from the Baker, that the Prisoners might know their quantity.

Here is a room for Men, 12 feet by 10, and for Women, 14 feet by 10, with boarded floors. Straw and two blankets to sleep on. Each room has an iron-grated window, looking into a small court, 6 yards by 4, with a sewer in it, where they are allowed to walk one hour in the day. For Felons, a dungeon, nine steps down, of 13 feet by 9½ and 6 feet 3 inches high: Earth floor, very damp; totally dark, and without ventilation. No bedstead. Straw on the floor, and a blanket. At my visit, 1810, the Gaoler told me the Magistrates had determined to brick up the dungeon. Neither the Act nor Clauses hung up.

This prison is situated in the middle of the town of Berkhampstead. The accommodation for prisoners consists of seven cells and an airing yard. The dimensions are as follows:—

The windows of the cells on the upper floor are glazed, those below have wooden shutters only. The cells are ill ventilated; in summer they are very close and hot, in winter very cold. There is easy communication, even by whispering, from cell to cell, as we ascertained by experiment; and male and female prisoners are frequently confined in adjacent cells. Two of the cells open upon the public street, with which there may be easy communication; those two cells are very insecure.

Prisoners confined here are such as are committed for examination; when committed for trial they are removed to Hertford County Gaol. Prisoners under summary conviction, whose sentences do not exceed one month, undergo their punishment in this prison. Their number and terms of imprisonment will be seen on referring to the Return annexed to this Report.

The present keeper was temporally appointed to his office by the magistrates in Petty Sessions, in May, 1838. His salary is 3l. per annum, and he is permitted to charge one guinea per head for every prisoner conveyed by him to Hertford gaol—a distance of 24 miles. He is the only officer appointed to this prison, and he attends as well upon the female as upon the male prisoners. His wife is not appointed to act as matron, but she attends upon the female prisoners in his absence, but not otherwise. He makes no return of prisoners to Petty or Quarter Sessions, or to the Secretary of State. The prison register is laid before the Berkhampstead Petty Sessions, whenever it meets; and he makes out for the Quarter Sessions his account for the maintenance of the prisoners, at so much per head, according to the number that may have been in confinement Prisoners, whether untried or convicted, sure allowed a pound and a half of bread per diem, and nothing else. The keeper charges the magistrates for as many days as prisoners have been in his custody, according to the contract price of bread, which contract is made by the magistrates every six months with a baker in the town. The keeper has nothing to do with the contract He supplies the prisoners with straw as it is wanted, for which he charges in his bill. The bedding consists of two blankets, and straw for each bed.

There are three visiting justices who attend occasionally; but there is no fixed time of meeting. They visit one or other of them about once a month, on which occasion they go round the prison and see the prisoners.

There are no regulations for the government of the prison. The keeper receives orders by word of mouth from the magistrates from time to time; but he has no written instructions of any kind for his guidance in the management of the prison or treatment of the prisoners. The only book kept at the prison is a Prison Register. There is no Expense or Account Book of any kind.

All prisoners are searched on admission; and the keeper takes from them knives, money, tobacco, or anything else that he deems improper. Prisoners committed for examination are allowed to purchase for themselves, or to receive from their friends, meat, cheese, butter, bread, and similar articles; but no beer or tobacco is allowed to any prisoner.

The prisoners confined in this prison are, as far as the accommodation will allow, placed in separate cells; to which they are constantly confined, except during the time of exercise, which occupies about an hour and a half daily. The prisoners, both male and female, untried and convicted, adult and juvenile, take their exercise altogether in the same yard and at the same time. The keeper states that he is generally with the prisoners when they are in the airing yard, and always when there are any female prisoners with the males. He declares most positively that he has never left male and female prisoners together for five minutes; he may have done so occasionally for a minute or so, but not more. The practice, however, of thus associating male and female prisoners together, although in the presence of an officer, is in direct violation of the Gaol Act, which declares that male and female prisoners shall be so confined as to prevent them from seeing, conversing, or holding any intercourse with each other; and whilst the same Act declares that female prisoners shall at all times be attended by female officers, in this prison they are at all times attended by a male officer.

The magistrates have appointed Mr. Steele, a medical man of the town of Berkhampstead, to act as surgeon to the prison; but he has no salary. He charges according to the number of times his attendance is required. He never visits the prison unless sent for by the keeper to see a sick prisoner; but be then continues to attend so long as his visits are necessary. He orders, for the prisoners under his care, such extra diet and other articles as he deems necessary, which the keeper provides, and for which he charges in his sustenance bill. Such orders are given verbally, as the surgeon keeps no journal in which to record his visits, the sick from time to time under his care, or the orders he may give for medicine, extra food, or other articles. The keeper has seldom to call for the attendance of the surgeon: upon an average about once in three months. The health of the prison is generally good; there have been no deaths during the time of the present keeper; one prisoner had a bad fever, but he recovered.

There is no chaplain appointed to the prison, neither is there any religious service of any kind ever performed in it, although prisoners are often confined in the prison as long as a month together. No instruction of any kind is given to the prisoners. There are a few Testaments and religious tracts for the use of the prisoners, which the keeper gives out to such of the prisoners as can read.

There are very defective and improper arrangements for maintaining the prisoners' personal cleanliness. The prisoners all wash at the pump in the yard, females as well as males. The keeper admits that this is an improper exposure of the females; he says that his wife occasionally provides a pan and a towel in the kitchen for a respectable female.

The prisoners' friends in general supply them with clean linen every week. If they omit doing so, the keeper compels the prisoners to wash their clothes for themselves, and provides them with the requisite conveniences.

The number of prisoners in confinement at the time of our inspection was five, all males; one was remanded for a hearing, and four were summarily convicted. Each had a separate cell, and were kept apart, except during the time of exercise.

The number of prisoners committed to this bridewell in the course of the last year amounted to 131. Of these 118 were males. 13 were females.

It must be apparent, from the particulars above stated, in how objectionable a condition this prison is, and in how many instances the positive requirements of the Gaol Act are violated. Male and female prisoners both communicate and associate together. Female prisoners are under the care of a male officer. No religious instruction is afforded. No distinction is made between the treatment of untried and of convicted prisoners, who associate here freely together. There are no prison regulations; no proper prison journal or account book. And it may be stated that in almost every particular the prison is in a defective and improper condition. It must not be forgotten that this is a county prison, that the number of prisoners committed to it is considerable, and that they are confined in it for a month at a time.

We strongly recommend that this prison should be used exclusively for prisoners under examination, and that all convicted prisoners should be sent to undergo their sentences in the Hertford County Prison. The Berkhampstead Bridewell is altogether unfit for the enforcement of any salutary or corrective discipline.

The greatest number of prisoners in confinement, from the 23d March, 1838, to the 22d March, 1839, at one time, was, on the 2d January, 1839,15. The greatest number of prisoners in confinement, from the 23d March, 1839, to 22d March, 1840, at one time, was, on the 6th September, 1839,12.

The daily average number of prisoners in confinement, from the 23d March, 1838, to the 22d March, 1839, was about 4.

The daily average number of prisoners in confinement, from the 23d March, 1839, to the 22d March, 1840, was about. 3.

Prisoners for examination and re-examination are detained for different periods, from one day to a-week; but I do not remember but two cases where prisoners were detained for a-week.

Prisoners for trial are detained from one day to ten; but in the latter case only, when I have anticipated the committal of a second prisoner, so as to make one journey serve for two, taking care that all prisoners so detained are at Hertford gaol sufficient time before the commencement of the sessions or assize.