MOREAU-CHRISTOPHE ON PRISON REFORM.

Iv is very striking in what a different manner moral and political questions are investigated in England and in France. With us. a mass of facts is collected—many authorities ate ransacked—and a report, or a book, appears, stating the result of the inquiries made. But we are little accustomed to resort to principles, or to discuss niatters scientifically. We want something of that capacity for generalization, that tendency to abstraction, which belongs so pe- culiarly to French writers. The bo(1 before ns is an example of a work which theorizes on a subject which, with the exception of BENTHAM in his Punopticon, and MILL in the Encyclopedia Bri- tannic% has not been scientifically handled by any writer in this country that we are aware of. We think it may be of service, therefore, especially whilst the bill " for the better ordering of Prisons" is before Parliament, to point attention to M. MOREAU- CHRISTOPHE'S work ; which indeed may be regarded, from the station he fills, as a sort of semi-official publication. M. CHRISTOPHE is a strenuous advocate of the system of indi- vidual separation of prisoners, which has recently forced itself upon public attention both in France and in England. The balance of opinion among distinguished thinkers in Paris, may be said to be now decidedly in its favour ; though the Silent system has still its adherents, among a hom M. Lucas—an authority of weight—is the most distinguished. The Council-General of the Department of the Seine has adopted the Separate principle, by having lately voted a sum of money for the erection of a metropolitan prison with separate cells for the untried ; and the Government has an- nounced an intention of introducing some further measures to the same end. In the mean time, M. MOR.EAU-CHRISTOPHE was charged with a mission to examine the prisons in this country ; whence he returned to Paris with an increased conviction of the inefficacy of all other systems but that of individual Separation. His reasons are fully developed in the present work; which is in continuation of a former treatise ontiiled " De l'Etat actuel des Ptisons en France."

M. MOREAU-CHRISTOPPE commences with an inquiry into the various causes of crime. These causes, in all countries, pretty well resolve themselves into two—ignorance and poverty; and we du not perceive that be has made any new discovery under this head. But he proceeds to give a masterly sketch of the ex- isting penal system of France, and then to point out the prin- ciples upon which imprisonment, as a leading branch of every penal system, ought to be based. Ile lays down that all penal imprisonmeet should have four qualities,—it should be e.rpiatoire, exemplaire, obviatoire, and penitentiaire. The last three it should assuredly be; but we are not clear that human legislation has any concern with expiation. BENTHAM, indeed, intimates that the whole theory of punishment may be reduced to one of com- pensation. But M. MOREAU-CHRISTOPHE goes further than this, for he proposes to introduce a condition of satisfying both human and divine vengeance,—which we regard as an illegitimate object of punishment inflicted by man. Nor do we perceive whether M. MOREAU-CHRISTOPHE had BENTHAM'S theory fully before him when he treats this part of his subject. The French prisons in general are neither upon the Separate nor the Silent system, but upon what is the worst of all—that of Association. "Le systeme actuel de nos maisons eentrales," says our author," est exclusif des quatres principes a la fois : du prin- cipe expiatoire, en ce que ces prisons ne punissent pas, mais compensent le crime ; du principe exemplai re, en ce que ces pri- sons n'intimident pas, mais encouragent les seelerats; du principe obviatoire, en ce que ces prisons n'emgchent pas, mais facilitent la corruption ; du prineipe penitentiare, en ce que ces prisons n'amendent pas le condamne. mais le rendent piree Ce systeme affroyable doit done etre abandonne au plus trite, et sans retour." (P. 389.) We have not space to recapitulate all M. MORE AU-CHRISTOPHE'S arguments in favour of the Philadelphia discipline, in preference to the Auburn or Silent system. The following observations, however, are so sensible as to be well worth quoting.

" Esperons que Is reaction qui commence au debors en &vette du systeme de Philadelphie, an tardera pas a gagner le Ministere Francais et les Chainbres, et que tout l'inanite du systeme d'Auburn ramenera bientet sea plus chauds patti- Sans a l'isolement absolu de Cherry Hill.

" Je dirai, dans les deux chapttres suivants, en quoi corisiste l'action morale at disciplinuire de ce systitme; je ne m'occuperai, en ce moment, que de sea asoyens physiques d'execution. " Les 262 cellules yid composent he penitentier de Cherry Hill, torment, en realite, 262 prisons distinctes. ' Cheque cellule de cette ison,' disent AFAI. de Beaumont et de Toequeville, ' est une prison dans la prison memo, et la con- struction de cette cellule est si complete, n'y a jamais pour son prisonnier aecessite d'en sot tir.' En dirt, :1 cheque (telltale est annexee une petite cour, dans laquelle se trouve une tome d'aisances, de sorte que cheque cellule pout weir tout I Is fois de promenoir, de refectoire, d'atelier de travail, et de ethambre I coucber, pour hinge exclusif du seul prisonnier qui l'occupe. Ce

systeme n'admet de cellules qu'au rez-de-chaussee. Les cellules et Incest, sont aliguees en rangees doubles, C Is suite les ones des autres. Cheque re* double est s6pariie par un corridor qui la longe au milieu. Les mute de lion en sent assrz eleeee et assez Cpais pour que, sans noire a la libre circulative de l'air, le corps et la voix du prisonuier soient impuissans a en french', l'enceinte. Enfin, on cbeinin de ronde enveloppe le tout et rend tome impossible. " Le pretnier avantage architectural qui remake de ce systeme, c'est gird resoud, de la maniere la plus simple et la plus complete, le probleme de la separa, lion absolue, pour cheque prison, des sexes, den aees, et des tnoralites de climes eategorie des detenus, separation qui no petit effe.etiter he systeme des quarts?, d'epieuve, des quartiews de punition, des quartiers de recompenses, et de tousles mitres quertiers possibles, lesquels, de quelque facon qu.'on les dispose, 11, peuvent echapper l'irremeiliable inconvenient de l'agglomeration et du melaage des moralias, autrement dit des ininaoralita d'une mime classe, dans on tier common.

" Le seclind avantage architectural du systeme de Philadelphie, c'est qu'a est applicable a toutes les prisons de Is France; et que In programme du peal. tencier de Cherry 11111 pout, des ce moment, etre pits pour base de toutea le: cunstr uctions C faire pour ramener progressivement toutes nos prisons, suit pre. ventives, suit repressives, C on mode d'imprisonnetnent uniforme et iminuable,

" Quel est chiffre de la population? Telle est, dans la simplicite de ce teme la setae question qu'aura a poser Parchitecte avant de poser as eremite, pierre. S'agit.il :'une maison d'arret de province dont la population moyeals (le cheque jour soit de 20 prevenus, dont a females, 10 homilies, et 5 enfaas? Ce sera 20 cellules et autant (le cours tattlers qu'il aura a pratiquer.

" S'agit.il d'une maison centrale de 500, de 1,000, de 1,200 detenus? sera 500, 1,000, on 1,200 cellules et cones isolees qu'il aura a. construire.

"II n'y a pas (Frame classification I etablir, ii n'y a d'autre precede a seine, dans l'un coin me dans l'autre cas.

" Comme on le volt, rien u'est plus simple, Tien n'est plus facile a execute que ce Nyuthile. " La Nute objection serieuse qu'on puisse faire contre son adoption, c'est Ii depense.

" Mats il est des depenses dont la neeessite refute victoireusement l'objectiot de leer chae. Celle dont il s'agit est de ce nombre. " Le gouvernement no le conteste pas. Seulement, comme he systeme burn coine moms, it prefere ce systeine a celui de Philadelphie qui coke plus. " Main, en et:onetime Nociale minim en econornie domestique c'eat moms lt ermine de Is depense qu'il faut considerer que son resultat. •

" Autretnent ii faudrait dire, la corruption des Menus cokte moms dansle systeme actuel de nos prisons que ne cofiterait leur amendement dans le systems d'Auburn ou de Philadelphie; done it est econonaique de conserver he system corrupteur actuel. " Ce n'est point ainsi taut poser Is question. Le systeme le plus enemas pour le budget comme pour la morale, est celui qui met le plus en contact In &terms d'une tame prison, et qui, en les corrompant d'avantage engendrele plus de recidives. " Or, des trois systemes qui aunt en presence, celtii de nos prisons ett denunent le plus corrupteur. Celui d'Auburn qui semble l'etre le moms, cam isole le detenus pendant la nuit, l'est en definitive, autaut ea ce qu'il he , reuuit pendant le jour. Celui de Philadelphie (tui les hole tons, la nuit elk lour, pendant tout le temps de leur detention, est evidemment le seul qui retitle • impossible kyr eontagiun mutuelle, et probable leur amendement. Houle systeme de Philadelphie est seul (le nature a prevenir le plus grand nombre pos. sible de recidives. Done il est, en resultat, plus econotnique que les deux as. ties, hien qu'il cane le plus en sotume." (Pp. tBa to 397.) Upon one important point M. MOREAU-CHRISTOpHE differs from the English Inspectors. He adopts the rule of Philadel- phia, in having no chapel, but affording ample religious instrue. non to the prisoners in their cells, by the visits of the chaplain, and by the reading of prayers in the corridor, so as to be heard

by a certain number of prisoners at a time. A chapel has been ingeniously contrived by our Inspectors, in which all the prisoners

may sit in separate boxes, so as not to see or he seen by each other. But if they are to be thus separated during divine see vice, so as to preclude communion of worship, where can be the advantage of bringing them out of their cells for that purpose? • M. MOREAU-CHRISTOPHE is more consistent, in declaring a chapel to be inadmissible under the Separate system. Proper ministers,

whether Catholic, Protestant, or of whatever religious denomina- tion the tenets of the prisoners may require, are essential ; but so long as the prisoners receive adequate religious instruction, the place where it is communicated cannot, surely, be of much . portance.

It is but justice to M. MOREAU-CHRISTOPHE to express the high sense we entertain of his worth, as a zealous, able, and in-

telligent promoter of improvement in quarters where (alas!) hu-

manity suffers deeply from the neglect of those who have the power, but want the will, to introduce reform. M. CHRIsTOPlill is not one of those officials who value their places on account of the salaries attached to them, but regards his office as a powerful instrument of doing good. If he should succeed in inducing his Government to establish a systematic separation of the prisoners

in the French gaols, be will render one of the most valuable see vices that can be performed to his countrv : and we will hazards wager, that the energy of the French Government, though not very great, will prove quite equal in this respect to any that is likely to be manifested, under present circumstances, by our own , Administration.