CITY OF BOSTON. IN BOARD OF ALDERMEN, July 1, 1872. The Special Committee of the Board of Aldermen, who were appointed to inspect the prisons and houses of detention within the County of Suffolk, and make the examinations and reports required by the Statutes of the Commonwealth, beg leave to submit the following report: HOUSE OF INDUSTRY. The committee visited the House of Industry at Deer Island on the 15th of June, 1872. The previous inspection was made on the 24th of November, 1871. The number of commitments during this period of two hundred and four days was as follows: The number discharged during the same time was as fol Remaining at last report, Nov. 24, 1871 . 579 Committed from Nov. 25, 1871, to June 15, 1872, inclusive 2,730 Total. 3,309 Discharged from Nov. 25, 1871, to June 15, 1872, The male prisoners have been employed as carpenters, blacksmiths, painters, shoemakers, taking care of barns, piggery, farming, grading, and various other kinds of labor about the premises. The female prisoners have been employed in making clothing, washing, ironing, mending, scrubbing, knitting, nursing, cooking, etc. Solitary confinement is the punishment inflicted. There are four hundred cells in both prisons two hundred in each. It appears that two hundred and fifteen prisoners were lodged outside of cells at the date of the inspection, namely, one hundred and fifty-six (156) males and fifty-nine (59) females. The chapel has to be used as a dormitory to lodge a portion of the male prisoners. The attention of the City Council is earnestly called to the necessity of providing additional sleeping accommodations for the inmates of this institution. The following table shows the increase in prisoners since 1868: No. of inmates June 15, 1868, Males, 133; Females, 201 An increase of two hundred and twenty-three (223) male prisoners and fifty-eight (58) female prisoners in four years. HOUSE OF REFORMATION. The Committee visited the House of Reformation on the same day. The number of commitments since Nov. 24, 1871, was as follows: Truants Juvenile vagrants Larceny Stubborn children. Total number committed . The number discharged was as follows: 63 43 12 1 191 82 39 9 1 131 Recapitulation. Remaining as per last report Committed from Nov. 25, 1871, to June 15, 1872, in clusive Discharged Remaining June 15, 1872 Boys 275, Girls 36. 323 119 442 131 311 From the date of the last inspection in May 1, 1872, all of the inmates of the department attended school. Since May 1st an average of eighty-five boys has been employed on the farm and other outside labor. The modes of punishment are solitary confinement and feruling. HOUSE OF CORRECTION. The committee visited the House of Correction at South Boston on the 24th of June, 1872. At the previous inspection, on the 16th December, 1871, there were in the institu The number of persons committed from Dec. 16th, to June 24, 1872, inclusive, has been, |