Prisons In The Victorian Age

HMP Forestbank, Manchester

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. 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."

Prison in the 1850's Different countries imprisoned debtors, delinquent juveniles, minor misdeneanants and felons. Jails were mostly dark, overcrowded and filthy. All types of prisoners were herded together with no separation of men and women, the young and the old, the convicted and the unconvicted, or the sane and the insane. The poor conditions were descriped in detail by Charles Dickens, in his book "Great Expectations". The description is from his own experience in debtors prison as a child. Different countries imprisoned debtors, delinquent juveniles, minor misdeneanants and felons. Jails were mostly dark, overcrowded and filthy. All types of prisoners were herded together with no separation of men and women, the young and the old, the convicted and the unconvicted, or the sane and the insane. The poor conditions were descriped in detail by Charles Dickens, in his book "Great Expectations". The description is from his own experience in debtors prison as a child.

Prison Reform in the 1860's In the early 1860's prisons were reformed. In some prisons the cooking was excellent, far better than in most ordinary inns. It seemed that the convicts were not just well fed, but fed as well or even better than some non-criminal Londoners. Food is not the only area where English convicts seemed to far better than non-convicts. The convicts got exercise, had regular habits, sufficient feeding, were healthier than the average population and didn't have to worry about keeping a job. It seemed more advantageous for an Englishman to commit a crime, thereby be convicted to prison, where he could obtain better food, baths and good warm lodging, than if he were struggling on the streets of London. 1860's prisons1860's prisons

Imprisonment The idea of imprisonment as a form of punishment for crimes is relatively new. Until the late 18th century the most common forms of punishment were execution and exile(banishment from one's country, prisons were used as debtors prisons. They imprisoned debtors who could not pay off their creditors, along with the rest of their family. The prisons also held people waiting to be tried and the convicted awaiting their sentences (death or transportation) to be put into effect.

The Debtor's prison (male) The female prison