The English Prisons

In the late 1950s crime and its treatment had never been of greater public interest. In The English Prisons, originally published in 1960, D.L. Howard used his knowledge of academic criminology and his practical experience of criminals of all ages to produce a book which would be of value to all who were concerned with crime in this country at the time. The author gives the first full survey of the history of prisons to appear for many years. He describes conditions in the early prisons and prison hulks, the colonial penal settlements, and the part played by outstanding individuals such as John Howard, Elizabeth Fry and Alexander Paterson in the development of the modern prison system. He then discusses, in the light of first-class experience as a trained sociologist working inside an English prison, the changes which were taking place in the treatment of criminals, and the problems which these changes were creating. Mr Howard shows a rare insight into his subject, and this, together with an ability to write vividly and informally, would make his book appeal to both the general reader and all who were studying the social sciences in the universities and as part of their training for social work. Today it can be read in its historical context.

Today, the Tower of London is a tourist site, home only to the crown jewels, but not long ago the imposing structure held traitors, political prisoners, and more, often on their way to the chopping block. Even outside of this famous building, prisons have changed radically since the Norman Conquest in 1066. In the first book on the history of prisons in Britain, former prison governor and professor of criminology David Wilson offers unrivaled insight into the penal system in England, Scotland, and Wales, charting the rise and fall of forms of punishments that take place behind their walls. Pain and Retribution explores prisons as an institution and examines how they are designed, organized, and managed. Wilson reveals that prisons have to satisfy the demands of three interested parties: the public, from politicians and media commentators to everyday citizens; the prison staff; and the prisoners themselves. He shows how prevailing concerns and issues of the times allow one faction or another to have more power at varying points in history, and he considers how prisons are unable to satisfy all three at the same time—leading to the system being seen as a failure, despite rising numbers of prisoners and growing funds invested in keeping them incarcerated. With intriguing comparisons between the prisons of New York City and Britain and searching questions about the purposes of the current penal system, Pain and Retribution provides unparalleled access to prison landings, staffs, and the people behind the locked doors.

Reproduction of the original. The publishing house Megali specialises in reproducing historical works in large print to make reading easier for people with impaired vision.

"Six Years in the Prisons of England" by various and edited by Frank of London Henderson is a compilation of recollections of the English prison system in the 1800s. Prison reform has always been a hot-button political issue. This book gives modern readers a chance to look at how prisoners were treated and serves as a useful comparison to current conditions.

Reproduction of the original.

For most of us, the prison is an unfamiliar institution and life 'inside' is beyond our experience. However, more than 60,000 people now live in our gaols, some serving their sentences in buildings with Victorian or more ancient origins, others in prisons dating from the last twenty years. 'English Prisons: An Architectural History' is the result of the first systematic written and photographic survey of prisons since the early 20th century. It traces the history of the purpose-built prison and its development over the past 200 years. Over 130 establishments that make up the current prison estate and over 100 former sites that have surviving buildings or extensive documentation have been investigated, institutions ranging from medieval castles and military camps to country houses that have been taken over and adapted for penal use. The Prison Service granted the project team unprecedented access to all its establishments, allowing the compilation of an archive of more than 5,000 images ad 250 research files. The team was allowed to go anywhere, to photograph almost anything (except where this could compromise security) and to speak to any inmate. A selection of the images from the archive illustrates this book.