Victorian Prison Lives

Victorian Prison Lives is the first account of the process of imprisonment in England between 1830 and 1914 to be drawn largely from the writings of prisoners themselves. The period was in some ways one of great change, beginning with an astonishing penitentiary experiment when prisons were seen as moral hospitals. But this approach eventually gave way to the idea of penal servitude and created a legacy of harshness and suffering still preserved in the reputations of Portland, Chatham, and Dartmoor. It was only towards the end of the period that the concept of modern prison administration began to emerge. But while statutory changes were taking place, there was an underlying continuity. This is examined in a series of chapters on every aspect of prison life - from admission procedures, fellow prisoners, and the nature of hard labour, diet, and discipline to the process of release, which for a long-term prisoner could be as daunting as entry into prison.