PHILADELPHIA PENITENTIARY. In the year 1787, a numberof benevolent individuals, deeply impressed with the cruelty, inefficacy, and injurious tendency of the penal code then in force, and of the miserable system of pri son discipline which was in practice, not only in the Phila delphia prison, but likewise throughout Europe and Ame rica, associated themselves together, under the title of "The Philadelphia Society for alleviating the Miseries of Public Prisons." To the assiduous and persevering ex ertions, the laudable zeal and example of this body, are principally to be attributed those efforts which philanthro pists in different parts of Europe have since made, to intro duce into general operation a mild, rational, and humane penal code. The society commenced its labours, by en deavouring to make a proper classification of the prison ers, who were found promiscuously congregated together, without regard to age, sex, or the nature of the crimes committed. This preliminary obtained, petitions were presented to the legislature of Pennsylvania, urging a revision of the penal code of the state—the proper pro portionment of the punishment to the crime, the abolish ment of capital punishment for all offences less than deli berate and premeditated murder, and the adoption of a system of solitary confinement. These several proposi tions were approved of by the legislature, and proper laws enacted for carrying them into effect. Inspectors were chosen, whose duty it should be to maintain order and de corum, to enforce the penitentiary system, and to exer cise a control and supervision over the keepers of the prison.
The county jail in Walnut-street was adapted, as far as compatible with its limited size and inconvenient con Struction, to the purposes of classification and of solitary con finement. Owing, however, to the want of a suitable building, the advantages of the improved system of pri son discipline of Pennsylvania have not yet been fully de veloped. The penitentiary now nearly completed at Pittsburg, and that in progress near Philadelphia, which will probably be finished in the course of two or three years, will enable the experiment to be made under the most favourable auspices. The subjoined very interest
ing description of the latter edifice, drawn up by its in genious projector, John Haviland, Esq. will give the rea der a complete idea of the whole structure. E. BETTLE.
Haviland's Plan.—" From a knowledge of the design, it will be found, in its general arrangement and parts in detail, to embrace strength, convenience, health, economy, and other desirable properties of the institution.
In the distribution of the cells into a general form, I have maturely considered the advantages and objections to every geometrical figure, but cannot find any one so well adapted to accomplish the main objects of the institution, as the one I have made choice of in the plan before you. It appears to me to be a form that possesses many advan tages in the watching, health and superintendence of the prison, by the distribution of the several blocks of cells forming so many radiating lines to the observatory or watch house, which is equal in width to one of those blocks : from the centre of this room a watchman can, from one point, command a view of the extremity of the passages from the cells, or traverse under cover unobserv ed by the prisoners, and overlook every cell ; when they are exercising in their yards, the same watchman, by walking round on a platform three feet wide, to be con structed on the outside of this watch-room, situated on a level with the first floor, as may be seen in the drawings, the watchmen can see into every yard, and detect any pri soner that may attempt to scale the minor walls ; but if the cells had been formed on the periphery of this octan gular, or any other figure, they would have screened any prisoner in attempting to scale the exterior wall ; it would not have been capable of extension, if desired at any fu ture time, as the present figure is, and rather have a ten dency to obstruct than promote ventilation ; but this dis position of the buildings, it will be observed, admits and circulates the fresh air, let it come from what point it may, and are more convenient to the structure where the cooking and other business of the prison is trans acted.