A historical study of prison discipline in mid‑Victorian England and its aftermath.
This volume captures a parliamentary inquiry, its minutes, and supporting evidence on how prisoners were housed, fed, and worked.
Delving into the debates of the Select Committee, it examines the separation vs. association debate, the reality of cell design, and the moral aims of discipline. It also presents detailed testimony on labor practices, ranging from treadwheels and cranks to shipboard drills, and how these practices affected prisoners’ lives. Diet, health, and administration are explored through official tables and the Appendix, offering a window into 19th‑century penal policy and its challenges.
What you’ll encounter
- The push to standardize labor, diet, and treatment across prisons
- Descriptions of different labor methods, from captive wheel work to naval shipboard exercises
- Diet scales, provisions, and the practical impact of food on confinement
- Minutes of evidence, committee conclusions, and authoritative appendices
Ideal for readers of Victorian governance, penology, and social reform, this book sheds light on the era’s approach to punishment, deterrence, and reform.