A visit to the Philadelphia prison; being an accurate and particular account of the wise and humane administration adopted in every part of that building; containing also an account of the gradual reformation, and present improved state of the penal laws of Pennsylvania: with observations on the impolicy and injustice of capital punishments ... In a letter to a friend / By Robert J. Turnbull.

  • Turnbull, Robert J. (Robert James), 1775-1833.
Date:
1797
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: A visit to the Philadelphia prison; being an accurate and particular account of the wise and humane administration adopted in every part of that building; containing also an account of the gradual reformation, and present improved state of the penal laws of Pennsylvania: with observations on the impolicy and injustice of capital punishments ... In a letter to a friend / By Robert J. Turnbull. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    18/110 (page 10)
    6C of public Punishments upon Criminals and Society;” in which, after difplaying with a philofophic calm- ncfs, the greateft acquaintance with the Springs oi the human heart, he fully demonftrates their inu¬ tility and mifchievous tendency. A few years growth of the fyftem which abolifhed them, has already eftablifhed the truth of his principles. Upon the whole, the promoters of this I aft grand work of philanthropy met with fo much fuccefs in the experiment, and its operations produced fo vifible a change in the criminal dockets throughout the {late, that the legiflature, fo far from fuffering their intended temporary law to expire without renewal, extended their lenity hill further, and by the memo¬ rable act of the 22d of April, 1794, abolifhed the punifhment of death for every crime, excepting murder of the firft degree. Any kind of murder perpetrated by means of poifon, by laying in wrait, or by any other kind of wilful, deliberate, and premeditated killing, committed in the perpetration, or attempt to perpetrate, any arfon, rape, robbery, or burglary, is declared to be murder of the firft degree. Perfons guilty of other offences are therefore now divided into claffes. Of the firft clafs are all perfons guilty of offences, which, previous to the palling of the law, were punifhable with death; and alfo thofe guilty of other heinous offences mentioned in the a<ft. Thefe undergo a punifhment compounded of hard labour and folitary confinement, for a certain term of years. Thofe of the fecond clafs, are convifts con¬ demned for offences lefs criminal, wrho are merely fubje&ed to hard labour. As to the meafure for each particular crime or mifdemeanor, it is principally difcretionary with the judges of the court, before whom they are tried, under the reftriclions laid down in the firft of the fubjoined tables. With thefe prefaratory obiervations on the nature, progreis, and gradual improvement, of the criminal laws’