New Inebriates Legislation in England. before him, that she would be amenable to the new act after January 1, and who may be enjoying the protection which it confers on the victims of habitual drunken ness before this article reaches the eyes of any reader of The GREEN Bag; has already been convicted on similar charges a thou sand and one times. It is at this point that the great value of the new statute comes in. Henceforward the courts may order the committal to a state or certified inebriate reformatory for a period not exceeding three years of ( 1 ) any person convicted on indictment of an offense punishable with imprisonment or penal servitude, if satisfied by the evidence that inebriety was the cause, or a cause, of the commission of the offense, and (2) any habitual drunkard convicted of an offense against the Li censing Acts or Town Police Clauses Acts, who has been convicted of similar offenses three times within the preceding twelve months. This departure will be all the more interesting to American readers because of its indirect recognition of the soundness of the principles on which the administration of the Elmira reformatory is based, as well as of the conclusions of Italian jurists. It only remains to give the substance of the model regulations which have been made by the home secretary under the new statute. The site of a reformatory whose certification is desired, must be at some distance from large centres of population. The quantity of land attached to it (if a reformatory for males) must allow not less than one acre for every ten patients (and half that quantity in the case of reforma tories for females) so as to give ample scope for outdoor employment, exercise and recreation. The minimum number of pa tients to be received at each institution is fixed at twenty-five. Certificates are to remain in force until withdrawn or sur rendered. Each reformatory is to have a resident superintendent. Every officer is to be a total abstainer. No intoxicating
383
liquors or drug of any kind shall be ad mitted into the reformatory under any pre text whatever, except in pursuance of a written order of the medical officer specify ing the quantity to be admitted, and the name of the person for whose use it is in tended. The inmates of the reformatory shall mess together, and the food should be carved in the room, and should not be weighed out to each man. Each inmate shall be responsible for the cleanliness of his room, bedding, utensils, etc. He shall be provided with complete and suitable dress, and shall be required to wear it. It is, however, not desirable to enforce strict uni formity, and, unless there are special reasons to the contrary, an inmate should be allowed to use his own clothes if he desires. Mechanical restraint is to be limited to the strait-jacket, and that is to be employed only when its use is necessary to prevent the patient from hurting himself or others. Female offenders are to have female warders. Corporal punishment is never to be in flicted. The sole punishments recognized within the reformatory are to be in the nature of dietary deprivations and depriva tions of privileges. Provision is made, how ever, for bringing recalcitrant patients be fore courts of summary jurisdiction; the maximum penalties being a fine of twenty pounds or three months' imprisonment with hard labor. No patient is to receive dietary punishment or to be put in solitary confine ment unless under a medical certificate that he is fit to undergo it; and no patient is to be punished in any way without a fair hear ing. We may conclude by citing the pro visions as to classification and conditional discharge. "Chronic invalids incapable of earning their own livelihood, and persons who re quire special care and constant medical attention, or persons suffering from any con tagious or infectious disease, should not be eligible for an inebriate reformatory. Per sons suffering from any organic disease in
