ith
length of sentence; (2) the system of progressive dietary; (3) the
distinction between hard labour diets and non-hard labour diets; (4)
the differentiation of diet according to age and sex. There are three
classes of diet, classes A, B and C. Class A diet is given to
prisoners undergoing not more than seven days' imprisonment. The food
is good and wholesome, but sufficiently plain and unattractive, so as
not to offer temptation to the loafer or mendicant. It is given in
quantity sufficient to maintain health and strength during the single
week. Prisoners sentenced to more than seven days and not more than
fourteen days are given class A diet for the first seven days and
class B for the remainder of the sentence. In most of the local
prisons in England and Wales prisoners sentenced to hard labour
received hard labour diet, although quite 60% were unable to perform
the hardest forms of prison labour either through physical defect, age
or infirmity. The departmental committee of 1899 in their report
recommended that no distinction should be made between hard labour and
non-hard labour diets. Class A diet is as follows:--_Breakfast_,
Bread, 8 oz. daily (6 oz. for women and juveniles) with 1 pint of
gruel. Juveniles (males and females under sixteen years of age) get,
in addition, 1/2 pint of milk. _Dinner_, 8 oz. of bread daily, with 1
pint of porridge on three days of the week, 8 oz. of potatoes
(representing the vegetable element) on two other days, and 8 oz. of
suet pudding (representing the fatty element) on the other two days.
_Supper_, the breakfast fare repeated.

Class B diet, which is also given to (1) prisoners on remand or
awaiting trial, (2) offenders of the 1st division who do not maintain
themselves, (3) offenders of the 2nd division and (4) debtors, is as
shown in Table I.

Class C diet is class B amplified, and is given to those prisoners
serving sentences of three months and over.

TABLE I.

+------------+------------------+--------+--------+-----------+
| | | Men. | Women. | Juveniles.|
+------------+------------------+--------+--------+-----------+
| | | | | |
| Breakfast. | Daily:-- | | | |
| | Bread | 8 oz. | 6 oz. | 6 oz. |
| | Gruel | 1