Punishment in Industrial Society 2

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Prisons

Prison became the main method of punishment during the Industrial Period and as a result, it saw huge changes.

The prison system

The prison system at the beginning of the Industrial Period was basic.
Everyone was housed together; men, women, children, debtors and lunatics - regardless of the crime committed.
Prison wardens were unpaid and earned money by charging the inmates fees for their cell, food, clothing and their release.

Conditions in prisons

The poor relied on charities to pay their prison fees whilst the richer inmates could afford a single cell.
Prison was damp, dirty and a hotbed of criminal instruction which made it a very dangerous place to be.

John Howard

John Howard (1726 - 1790) inspected prisons in Bedfordshire and wrote a report in 1777 about the general state of prisons.
He made a number of proposals about changes to the system including:
- Better accommodation.
- Changes to the fees.
- Improving diet.
- Paying prison guards.

Elizabeth Fry

Elizabeth Fry (1780-1845) was a Quaker with strong religious views and her belief that everyone had some good in them led her to try to further reform prisoners.
She visited Newgate Prison in London and was horrified to find inmates kept together regardless of crime. She aimed to deal with this and the exploitation of female prisoners by male guards.
Fry established a school for children in Newgate Prison and set about teaching them useful work so they could get work when they left prison and avoid reoffending.

Separate and silent systems

The 1830s saw the introduction of the separate system.
The main principle was that inmates were kept in solitary confinement, contact with others was limited and the main aim was to reform prisoners by expecting them to complete useful work.

Changing attitudes to retribution

The 1860s saw attitudes move from reform back to retribution. Prisoners in the silent system were expected to remain silent at all times.
Beds were replaced with harsh wooden bunks and better food was replaced with hard fare, which was a basic monotonous diet.
Hard labour was also a feature, where prisoners would complete daily pointless tasks, like turning a crank, walking a treadmill or sometimes oakum picking.

1Medieval England, 1000-1500

1.1Changing Definition of Crime in Medieval England

1.1.1Early Medieval Society

1.2Nature of Law Enforcement & Punishment

1.2.1Enforcing the Law in Medieval Society

1.2.2Punishments in Medieval England

1.2.3End of Topic Test - Early Medieval Society

1.3Case Studies From 1000-1500

1.3.1The Church

1.3.2End of Topic Test - The Church

1.3.3Grade 9 - Medieval England

2Early Modern England, 1500-1700

2.1Changing Definitions of Crime

2.1.1Early Modern Society

2.1.2Crime in the Early Modern Period

2.1.3End of Topic Test - Early Modern Crime

2.2Nature of Law Enforcement & Punishment

2.2.1Punishments in Early Modern Society

2.2.2Law Enforcement in Early Modern Society

2.2.3End of Topic Test - Early Modern Law Enforcement

2.2.4Grade 9 - Early Modern England

2.3Case Studies From 1500-1700

2.3.1Key Individuals

2.3.2End of Topic Test - Case Studies 1500-1700

2.3.3Grade 9 - Case Studies From 1500-1700

318th & 19th Century Britain

3.1Changing Definition of Crime in Industrial Britain

3.1.1Society in Industrial Britain

3.1.2Crime in Industrial Britain

3.1.3End of Topic Test - Crime in Industrial Britain

3.2Nature of Law Enforcement & Punishment

3.2.1Punishment in Industrial Society

3.2.2Punishment in Industrial Society 2

3.2.3Policing in the Industrial Period

3.2.4End of Topic Test - Punishment

3.3Case Studies From 1700-1900

3.3.1Changes to the Prison System

3.3.2End of Topic Test - Case Studies From 1700-1900

3.3.3Grade 9 - 18th & 19th Century

4Modern Britain, 1900-Present

4.1Changing Definition of Crime in Modern Britain

4.1.1Society in Modern Britain

4.1.2Crime in Modern Britain

4.1.3End of Topic Test - Crime in Modern Britain

4.2Nature of Law Enforcement & Punishment

4.2.1Punishment in Modern Britain

4.2.2Attitudes Towards Punishment

4.2.3Capital Punishment

4.2.4End of Topic Test - Punishment in Modern Britain

4.2.5Grade 9 - Modern Britain

4.3Case Studies 1900-2000

4.3.1Modern Britain Case Studies

4.3.2End of Topic Test - Modern Britain Case Studies

4.3.3Grade 9 - Case Studies 1900-2000

5Whitechapel Local Study

5.1The Geographical Area & Living Conditions

5.1.1Accommodation in Whitechapel

5.1.2Living Conditions

5.1.3End of Topic Test - Whitechapel Local Study

5.2The People of Whitechapel

5.2.1Alcohol & Immigration

5.2.2Prostitution

5.2.3Racial Tensions

5.2.4End of Topic Test - The People of Whitechapel

5.2.5Grade 9 - Whitechapel

5.3Policing in Whitechapel

5.3.1The Police Force in Whitechapel

5.3.2Jack the Ripper

5.3.3Challenges Facing the Police

5.3.4End of Topic Test - Policing in Whitechapel

5.3.5Grade 9 - Policing Whitechapel

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