In a brief comment on the close of the trial of Oscar Wilde, the Daily Chronicle said:—"His
sentence, enforced as it will be by the
severest rigors known to our abhorrent penal system, is virtually a sentence of death
or of madness, a fate to which we confess we hesitate to condemn any
human creature whatever." A correspondent next day asked what this meant, and he was
enlightened as follows:—Two years' hard labour is the severest
sentence, while it lasts, known to English criminal law. It is a form of punishment
never inflicted on criminals sentenced to penal servitude, inasmuch as
it is calculated to produce madness amongst them. Nine months' separate confinement
is as much as a convict gets, and is considered as much as his mind
can stand. The Prisons Committee report that even nine months' separation often injurious
affect the nervous system and recommend a reduction of the time.
A prisoner under two years' hard labour may be kept during the whole time in the solitude
of his cell, with the exception of one hour a day. During a
portion of his detention he is allowed no ordinary reading books, has a wooden plank
as a bed, and has to engage in occupation which the late Chairman of
the Prison Board declares to be "irritating, depressing, and debasing to the mental
faculties, and decidedly brutalising in its effect." So severe is this
form of sentence considered to be that many judges will not inflict it at all, and
last year in a total of 160,000 short sentences, only 34 persons were
committed for two years by the ordinary criminal courts.
In a brief comment on the close of the trial of Oscar Wilde, the Daily Chronicle said:—"His
sentence, enforced as it will be by the
severest rigors known to our abhorrent penal system, is virtually a sentence of death
or madness, a fate to which we confess we hesitate to condemn any
human creature whatever." A correspondent next day asked what this meant, and he was
enlightened as follows:—Two years' hard labor is the severest
sentence, while it lasts, known to the English criminal law. It is a form of punishment
never inflicted on criminals sentenced to penal servitude,
inasmuch as it is calculated to produce madness amongst them. Nine months' separate
confinement is as much as a convict gets, and is considered as much as
his mind can stand. The Prisons Committee report that even nine months' separation
often injuriously affect the nervous system, and recommend a reduction
of the time. A prisoner under two years' hard labor may be kept during the whole time
in the solitude of his cell, with the exception of one hour a day.
During a portion of his detention he is allowed no ordinary readiny books, has a wooden
plank as a bed, and has to engage in occupation which the late
Chairman of the Prison Board declares to be "irritating, depressing, and debasing
to the mental faculties, and decidedly brutalising in its effects." So
severe is this form of sentence considered to be, that many judges will not inflict
it at all, and last year in a total of 160,000 short sentences, only
34 persons were committed for two years by the ordinary criminal courts.
In a brief comment on the close of the trial of Oscar Wilde, the Daily Chronicle has
said:—"His sentence, enforced as it will be by the
severest rigors known to our abhorrent penal system, is virtually a sentence of death
or of madness, a fate to which we confess we hesitate to condemn any
human creature whatever." A correspondent next day asked what this meant, and he was
enlightened as follows:—Two years' hard labor is the severest
sentence, while it lasts, known to the English criminal law. It is a form of punishment
never inflicted on criminals sentenced to penal servitude,
inasmuch as it is calculated to produce madness amongst them. Nine months' separate
confinement is as much as a convict gets, and is considered as much as
his mind can stand. The Prisons Committee report that even nine months' separation
often injuriously affect the nervous system, and recommend a reduction
of the time. A prisoner under two years' hard labor may be kept during the whole time
in the solitude of his cell, with the exception of one hour a day.
During a portion of his detention he is allowed no ordinary reading books, has a wooden
plank as a bed, and has to engage in occupation which the late
Chairman of the Prison Board declares to be "irritating, depressing, and debasing
to the mental faculties, and decidedly brutalising in its effects." So
sever is this form of sentence considered to be, that many judges will not inflict
it at all, and last year in a total of 160,000 short sentences, only 34
persons were committed for two years by the ordinary criminal courts.
A correspondent next day asked what this meant, and he was enlightened as as follows:—Two
years' hard labour is the severest sentence,
while it lasts, known to the English criminal law. It is a form of punishment which
is never inflicted on convicts sentenced to penal servitude, inasmuch
as it is calculated to produce madness amongst them. Nine months' separate confinement
is as much as a convict gets, and is considered as much as his mind
can stand. The Prisons Committee report that even nine months' separation often injuriously
affect the nervous system, and recommend a reduction of the
time. A prisoner under two years' hard labour may be kept during the whole time in
the solitude of his cell, with the exception of one hour a day. During
a portion of his detention he is allowed no ordinary reading books, has a wooden plank
as a bed, and has to engage in occupation, which the late chairman
of the Prison Board declares to be "irritating, depressing, and debasing to the mental
faculties, and decidedly brutalising in its effect." So severe is
this form of sentence considered to be that many judges will not inflict it at all,
and last year in a total of 160,000 short sentences only thirty four
persons were committed for two years by the ordinary criminal courts."
A correspondent next day asked what this meant, and he was enlightened as as follows:—Two
years' hard labour is the severest sentence,
while it lasts, known to the English criminal law. It is a form of punishment which
is never inflicted on convicts sentenced to penal servitude, inasmuch
as it is calculated to produce madness amongst them. Nine months' separate confinement
is as much as a convict gets, and is considered as much as his mind
can stand. The Prisons Committee report that even nine months' separation often injuriously
affect the nervous system, and recommend a reduction of the
time. A prisoner under two years' hard labour may be kept during the whole time in
the solitude of his cell, with the exception of one hour a day. During
a portion of his detention he is allowed no ordinary reading books, has a wooden plank
as a bed, and has to engage in occupation, which the late chairman
of the Prison Board declares to be "irritating, depressing, and debasing to the mental
faculties, and decidedly brutalising in its effect." So severe is
this form of sentence considered to be that many judges will not inflict it at all,
and last year in a total of 160,000 short sentences only thirty four
persons were committed for two years by the ordinary criminal courts."
A correspondent next day asked what this meant, and he was enlightened as follows:—"Two
years' hard labor is the severest sentence,
while it lasts, known to the English criminal law. It is a form of punishment which
is never inflicted on convicts sentenced to penal servitude, inasmuch
as it is calculated to produce madness amongst them. Nine months' separate confinement
is as much as a convict gets, and is considered as much as his mind
can stand. The Prisons' Committee report that even nine months' separation often injuriously
affects the nervous system, and recommend a reduction of the
time. A prisoner under two years' hard labor may be kept during the whole time in
the solitude of his cell, with the exception of one hour a day. During a
portion of his detention he is allowed no ordinary reading books, has a wooden plank
as a bed, and has to engage in occupation which the late chairman of
the Prison Board declares to be 'irritating, depressing, and debasing to the mental
faculties, and decidedly brutalising in its effect.' So sever is this
form of sentence considered to be that many judges will not inflict it at all, and
last year in a total of 160,000 short sentences only thirty-four
persons were committed for two years by the ordinary criminal court.
A correspondent next day asked what this meant, and he was enlightened as follows:
"Two years' labor is the severest sentence, while it
lasts, known to the English criminal law. It is a form of punishment which is never
inflicted on convicts sentenced to penal servitude, inasmuch as it is
calculated to produce madness amongst them. Nine months' separate confinement is as
much as a convict gets and is considered as much as his mind can
stand. The Prisons Committee report that even nine months' separation often injuriously
affects the nervous system, and recommend a reduction of the time.
A prisoner under two years' hard labor may be kept during the whole time in the solitude
of his cell, with the exception of one hour a day. During a
portion of his detention he is allowed no ordinary reading books, has a wooden plank
as a bed, and has to engage in occupation which the late chairman of
the Prison Board declares to be 'irritating, depressing, and debasing to the mental
faculties, and decidedly brutalising in its effects.' So severe is
this form of sentence considered to be that many judges will not inflict it at all,
and last year in a total of 160,000 short sentences only thirty-four
persons were committed for two years by the ordinary criminal courts."