Early Governors' Papers

Richmond August 10^th 1826

Sir:

Your printed letter of the 17^th Ultimo: was recievd [sic] in due course of mail, and I lost no time in referring it to W^m Parsons, the Superintendant of the Penetentiary at this place - His answers to your enquiries are to be found in the enclosd letter. I find it necessary only to subjoin a few remarks to those containd [sic] in his communication, and they will have reference particularly to the last of your enquiries- that "the experienc'd and thinking "part of the State are of opinion that Penetentiaries afford the best means of "attaining the great ends of justice" is sufficiently evident from the single fact that two years since the Penetentiary at this place was consum'd by fire and that altho' a fair oppertunity [sic] was thus afforded of abolishing the system, yet the Legislature directed its rebuilding with very considerable enlargements. As to its practical results it may be safely asserted that it has been attended with no augmentation of crime, reference being had to the list of judi -cial convictions before its creation taken in connection with the numbers of our inhabitants - This of itself argues decisivley in its favour - Since under any severe code of laws where offences less than murder are punish'd with death, the principle of mercy often interposes to rescue the guilty from punishment, whereas under this system that principle cannot successfully be [invoked?], and crime uniformly meets it reward. Frequent instances have occur'd of second and third convictions of the same individual for offences against our penal code; but this repetition of offence is now