A Brief History Of The English Prison System.
Created | Updated Feb 19, 2007
In early years Britain had little need, if at all, for prisons. The normal sentence for those found guilty was death and those found innocent when accussed simply set free.
As an alternative to death and excecution in 1615, Thomas Moore's "Utopia" suggested a proposal for imprisonment as punishment. The suggestion was that thieves be locked away and and reduced in status as slaves for a number of years, but as state prison's at the time did not exist there was no place to send them.
Up until the 17th century prisoners were incarcerated mainly for debt, a sensless practice, as prisoners had to pay for board and lodging. Others had to wait thier fate in County prisons, Local prisons, Private prisons and Debtors prisons.
At this time around half the prisons were privately owned and rented out to sub-contractors by Landlords, the like of The Bishop Of Ely or Leeds, or Dukes Of Portland. Newgate prison in London, a notorious establishment dating strangely from as early as 1130, and demolished in 1902 opposite the site we know as The Old Baily today, was a commercial enterprise run by the Warden. Anything surplus expense was from "his personal funds".
When the reformer John Howard (hence the current day Howard League for Penal Reform) visted Newgate in the 1770's along with other prisons, he wore clothes which carried the stench of the interior of different prisons. He also travelled by horse rather than coach, which added to his odour, to make a point towards reform.
From the 17th century onwards transportation to Australia provided an alternative to incarcerating offenders to prison. Also those who avoided excecution were shipped to Virginia USA for plantation work, Jamaica and Barbados, until America's war of independence. This created a preference to ship offenders to Australia which developed a penal colony. Those not hanged still had to be placed. Therefore prison"hulks", broken old ships, were used as floating prisons. (At this point it is interesting to know that the term "shipped out" is still used in the modern Prison Service, as a description of moving from one prison to another.) In these ships men and boys were shackled throughout thier sentence,classifying groups of offenders into similar areas to aleviate crimes. These "hulks" then became a last stop before Australia. (Captain Cooke's ship Discovery ended up as a prison ship at Deptford as a "hulk").
In 1779 the first state prison, Millbank was opened. (32 years later on the site of the Tate Gallery in London.) It had integral sanitation, although sub-standard drainage caused many deaths through contamination. Millbank was denounced by the then Government some 30 years later because of its foulness, overcrowding and crude conditions.
Australia by now began to resent its ordered intake of criminals. Because of this the Government then built Pentonville prison in 1842. Thus was invented the "treadwheel", an item of work wherebye prisoners turned a heavy handle inside thier cell attached to a drum, which scooped sand up to a recepticle. The pressure could be adjusted by the Warders from outside using screws. Hence the term for Prison Officer's as Screws! The amount of turns gave prisoners a chance to earn their food after nine hours. If they managed 10,000 rotations a day,(a system open to abuse by sadistac Warders), they were fed. Some had to turn 2,000 rotations to earn breakfast.
In 1877 prisons finally became a state run service. Under its first commisioner, Du Cane.( An archietect of HMP Wormwood Scrubs which stands on Du Cane Road in Acton, London, and has portraits of himself and his wife in concrete on the main gate to the left and right of the main vehicle entrance.) This prison was actually built by prisoners, starting with the RC Chapel which became thier dormitory, and each wing faces North to South to ensure each cell has sunshine for at least part of the day. He also designed HMP Wakefield, Reading and Wandsworth prisons.
Du Cane was a strict man and a great believer in regimes of bread and water, solitary labour and religious instruction. Cells were purposfully built without integral sanitation, and those built in Pentonville with sink and toilet had the facilities removed. A cell call system was installed for emergency purposes, which exist today although usually an electronic alarm, were installed so that the staff could answer every call. Under his rule, prisoners were expected to keep total silence, wear masks and walk with heads facing the wall when outside cells. This was the norm until 1922.
Around 1991 things changed dramatically. Integral sanitation was introduced for all prisons in all Englands prisons. The procedure of "slop out" (emptying the overnight toilet bucket)was finished. All new prisons constructed were built with a toilet, and sink for washing. Still the entitlement to a full shower exists as one per week, as prisoners can have a strip wash at thier convenience whenever. Those sharing a cell built for one, 150 years ago, have a metal privacy partition to allow this to happen, even when using the toilet. Pressure for total privacy for these basic human functions, would undoubltley cost the present Government millions. In England we still send prisoners to buildings built over 150 to 200 years ago. Yet we still spend hundreds of thousands of pounds trying to update antique accomodation for what was meant to be a small holding place. Thus a cell designed for one becomes a cell for two. With the introduction of sanitatian for cells , TV and electricity for cells an old building has its failures tenfold.
The general public regard any crime as horrible. They are happy that an offender is sent away for however long the crime desreves. Unless you know someone who works in the system, or is incarcerated themseleves you will be happy. Eventually the system will burst. At what cost? (Please note the final paragraph is my personal opinion after 20 years in the Prison Service and not one that should be quoted).
As an alternative to death and excecution in 1615, Thomas Moore's "Utopia" suggested a proposal for imprisonment as punishment. The suggestion was that thieves be locked away and and reduced in status as slaves for a number of years, but as state prison's at the time did not exist there was no place to send them.
Up until the 17th century prisoners were incarcerated mainly for debt, a sensless practice, as prisoners had to pay for board and lodging. Others had to wait thier fate in County prisons, Local prisons, Private prisons and Debtors prisons.
At this time around half the prisons were privately owned and rented out to sub-contractors by Landlords, the like of The Bishop Of Ely or Leeds, or Dukes Of Portland. Newgate prison in London, a notorious establishment dating strangely from as early as 1130, and demolished in 1902 opposite the site we know as The Old Baily today, was a commercial enterprise run by the Warden. Anything surplus expense was from "his personal funds".
When the reformer John Howard (hence the current day Howard League for Penal Reform) visted Newgate in the 1770's along with other prisons, he wore clothes which carried the stench of the interior of different prisons. He also travelled by horse rather than coach, which added to his odour, to make a point towards reform.
From the 17th century onwards transportation to Australia provided an alternative to incarcerating offenders to prison. Also those who avoided excecution were shipped to Virginia USA for plantation work, Jamaica and Barbados, until America's war of independence. This created a preference to ship offenders to Australia which developed a penal colony. Those not hanged still had to be placed. Therefore prison"hulks", broken old ships, were used as floating prisons. (At this point it is interesting to know that the term "shipped out" is still used in the modern Prison Service, as a description of moving from one prison to another.) In these ships men and boys were shackled throughout thier sentence,classifying groups of offenders into similar areas to aleviate crimes. These "hulks" then became a last stop before Australia. (Captain Cooke's ship Discovery ended up as a prison ship at Deptford as a "hulk").
In 1779 the first state prison, Millbank was opened. (32 years later on the site of the Tate Gallery in London.) It had integral sanitation, although sub-standard drainage caused many deaths through contamination. Millbank was denounced by the then Government some 30 years later because of its foulness, overcrowding and crude conditions.
Australia by now began to resent its ordered intake of criminals. Because of this the Government then built Pentonville prison in 1842. Thus was invented the "treadwheel", an item of work wherebye prisoners turned a heavy handle inside thier cell attached to a drum, which scooped sand up to a recepticle. The pressure could be adjusted by the Warders from outside using screws. Hence the term for Prison Officer's as Screws! The amount of turns gave prisoners a chance to earn their food after nine hours. If they managed 10,000 rotations a day,(a system open to abuse by sadistac Warders), they were fed. Some had to turn 2,000 rotations to earn breakfast.
In 1877 prisons finally became a state run service. Under its first commisioner, Du Cane.( An archietect of HMP Wormwood Scrubs which stands on Du Cane Road in Acton, London, and has portraits of himself and his wife in concrete on the main gate to the left and right of the main vehicle entrance.) This prison was actually built by prisoners, starting with the RC Chapel which became thier dormitory, and each wing faces North to South to ensure each cell has sunshine for at least part of the day. He also designed HMP Wakefield, Reading and Wandsworth prisons.
Du Cane was a strict man and a great believer in regimes of bread and water, solitary labour and religious instruction. Cells were purposfully built without integral sanitation, and those built in Pentonville with sink and toilet had the facilities removed. A cell call system was installed for emergency purposes, which exist today although usually an electronic alarm, were installed so that the staff could answer every call. Under his rule, prisoners were expected to keep total silence, wear masks and walk with heads facing the wall when outside cells. This was the norm until 1922.
Around 1991 things changed dramatically. Integral sanitation was introduced for all prisons in all Englands prisons. The procedure of "slop out" (emptying the overnight toilet bucket)was finished. All new prisons constructed were built with a toilet, and sink for washing. Still the entitlement to a full shower exists as one per week, as prisoners can have a strip wash at thier convenience whenever. Those sharing a cell built for one, 150 years ago, have a metal privacy partition to allow this to happen, even when using the toilet. Pressure for total privacy for these basic human functions, would undoubltley cost the present Government millions. In England we still send prisoners to buildings built over 150 to 200 years ago. Yet we still spend hundreds of thousands of pounds trying to update antique accomodation for what was meant to be a small holding place. Thus a cell designed for one becomes a cell for two. With the introduction of sanitatian for cells , TV and electricity for cells an old building has its failures tenfold.
The general public regard any crime as horrible. They are happy that an offender is sent away for however long the crime desreves. Unless you know someone who works in the system, or is incarcerated themseleves you will be happy. Eventually the system will burst. At what cost? (Please note the final paragraph is my personal opinion after 20 years in the Prison Service and not one that should be quoted).
