Little fault is found with the general conduct of the inmates, in spite of the fact that the majority are old offenders. The character of the material with which the Labour House has to deal may be judged from the following summary of the punishments which had been undergone by those newly admitted in the year 1908-9:-- ------------------------+-------+--------+------- | | | Mode of Punishment. | Men. | Women. | Total. | | | ------------------------+-------+--------+------- | | | Labour House (house of | | | correction) | 791 | 50 | 841 Labour House more | | | than three times | 558 | 13 | 571 Recommitted within a | | | year of previous | | | detention | 58 | 6 | 64 Close detention more | | | than ten times | 371 | 22 | 393 Close detention more | | | than twenty times | 538 | 33 | 571 Prison | 916 | 59 | 975 Gaol | 127 | 3 | 130 Imprisoned before | | | eighteenth year | 23 | -- | 23 | | | ------------------------+-------+--------+------- Nevertheless, during the year punishments for offenders against discipline were awarded to only 304 inmates in 352 cases. The percentage of the male inmates punished (calculated on the mean daily average detained) was twenty-one, and of the female inmates 12. The punishments begin with mere reproof, and then follow in order of severity: withdrawal of permission to receive visits for a time, withdrawal of permission to write or receive letters, forfeit of the right to supplement the Labour House diet out of the reward of industry, forfeit of earnings themselves, disallowal of open air exercise, curtailment of rations, simple cell detention, and finally imprisonment on hard fare. Only in case of violent insubordination may chains or the straight jacket be resorted to.