Victorian Prison: England, 1865-1965 (From Oxford History of the Prison: The Practice of Punishment in Western Society, P 131- 167, 1995, Norval Morris and David J Rothman, eds. -- See NCJ- 167509)

• NCJ Number: 167514
• Author(s): S McConville
• Date Published: 1995
• Length: 37 pages
• Sale Source: Oxford University Press, Inc
• Publication Type: Historical Overview
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

Imprisonment in Victorian England involved two distinct types of prisons, the local prison and the convict prison, but later reforms resulted in the nationalization of prisons.

Abstract

Both local and convict prisons continued as largely separate entities until the end of the 19th century. While penal servitude was being established, consolidated, and refined as a substitute for transportation, local prisons were undergoing great change in response to the development of railways between the 1840's and the 1870's and in response to criminological arguments favoring cost redistribution because of the increased mobility of criminals. Resulting trends included the removal of prisons from local government to achieve greater uniformity in prison discipline. It was later determined, however, that the nationalization of prisons was not necessarily effective, and the focus turned to hard labor and harsh prison discipline. Differences between local and convict prisons are noted, particularly with respect to prison conditions and inmate discipline, and the impact of 19th century historical developments on 20th century imprisonment in England is discussed. The emergence of preventive detention and borstals and reformatory prison developments after World War II are examined. References and photographs