2. The dictionary definition of prison is as follows. "A building for confinement of persons sentenced or awaiting trial for crime; a place of captivity". However, this is not necessarily true. In times as close as the 19th century, people were sent to workhouses just because they were orphans. Even today, the mentally ill are sent to a kind of prison against their will. A better definition for prison would be "A place of confinement for persons labeled as unfit to live in normal society."

3. Young people have always got into trouble with the law. What changes over time is how society deals with its young offenders. Before Victorian times no distinction was made between criminals of any age. Accordingly, young children could be sent to an adult prison. There are records of children aged 12 being hanged.

4. The Victorians were very worried about crime. Levels rose sharply towards the end of the 18th century and continued to rise through much of the 19th century. Offences went up from about 5,000 per year in 1800 to about 20,000 per year in 1840. Although the Victorians firmly believed in punishing criminals, they faced a problem: what should the punishment be? One attempt to stop the growth of crime had been through making punishments severe (hanging or transportation). However, since the end of the 1700's, many people had become more and more angry at the number of people hanged for petty crimes.