Page:The Green Bag (1889–1914), Volume 14.pdf/482

 by the idea that a bomb-proof roof Indian was the always Jails.be attended by a guard, with loaded 439

right thing to prevent prisoners from escap ing, and so in those districts there were wards with bomb-proof roofs built under English rule. But a wiser system now pre vails, and the bomb-proof roofs have been pierced and provided with ample ventila tors. It may, however, be mentioned that the rivals of the English in India, the Danes and the French, had no idea of mak ing their prisoners too comfortable in jail. When the Danish settlement of Serampore was made over to the English, they found some of the cells in the jail, eight feet long, six feet high, and three feet wide, with no light, or ventilation, or drainage. They were ironically called the " thunda " guard, or cool guard-room, whereas they were so in tensely hot and malodorous that it would have been cruelty to keep a dog in them. It is said that prisoners were put into these cells by the Danes to make them confess their guilt. The English Government very soon ordered them to be pulled down. With the progress of civilization the In dian Government organised a special Jail Department under an Inspector General of Jails. The magistrates were relieved of the charge of the local prisons, selected Eng lish officers being appointed to look after the large and central jails, and the Civil Surgeon becoming the responsible officer at most of the small stations. The In spector General has usually been a mem ber of the Medical Service, so that the health and sanitary condition of the pris oners have come specially into prominence. The magistrates and the other civilian offi cers were made visitors, and directed to make periodical inspections of the jails, and to note in the visitors' book any points on which they desired to offer remarks. There was a rule made that the visitor should

muskets and fixed bayonets, during his walk through the jail, and thus it became rather a perilous job for the visitor, the guard being little used to handle firearms, though they might at some period in their lives have gone through their drill. A visi tor who is supposed to see if the convicts have any complaint to offer, is not likely to inspire much confidence when he goes attended by the jail officials and surrounded by armed guards. Visitations, therefore, became rather a farce, except so far as the visitor could see or smell; and an ex perienced visitor would be careful to write very little in the visitors' book, unless he wished to be involved in a controversy with the Inspector General, -who did not approve of anything being recorded in the book un favorable to his own department subordi nates. When the Lieutenant-Governor of the Province visits a jail (as he always does in his annual tour through the district of his territories) it is announced beforehand at what hour and on what day the guberna torial inspection will take place. The offi cial visitor of more humble rank should, therefore, try to enable himself to see the interior of a jail in the same aspect as it is exhibited to a Lieutenant-Governor. Al though " eye-wash " is not charged for in the jail accounts, a considerable quantity of it is used for the pre-announced visit of the Lieutenant-Governor or any other high offi cial visitor; and it is much more pleasant to find the drains thoroughly cleaned, and the wards fragrant with the smoke of in cense, than to have the senses of sight and smell offended in divers ways if the visitor calls unexpectedly at the gates of the jail, and insists on going in and seeing things in ' their deshabille.