Essay On Victorian Prisons And Punishments

Victorian prisons and punishments

The removal of a person’s freedom has been used since ancient history as a form of punishment. The Victorian period went through a lot of changes in how people were caught, arrested and charged. They were trying to find an efficient way to slow down the raising crime rates . The victorian era didn’t have any form of police. That is known today, it wasn’t until 1856 when they were finally introduced. Before then, most towns had an unpaid “policemen” known as parish to keep citizens in check. The first professional policeman, were set up in England was known as “Peelers” or “Bobbies” in 1829 by Robert Peel. “It was the start of a campaign to improve public law. Reform, however, it was slow because there was distrust of the police at all levels” (1). The first official police uniform had a long blue coat that came with a tall hard hat, that would protect them from blows to the head and could also be used as a step stool to look over walls . Their only weapon was a truncheon, and they would raise alarm or attention by shaking loud rattles. Even though the crime rate was rising faster than a skorn snake, most counties refused

They were mostly small, old, badly-run places. Each was run by the gaoler according to his own rules. If the prisoners could pay, they could buy extra privileges such as extra food and longer visits . Prisoners had to pay for their own food, and disease manifeste the place. In 1780 a 'new model prison' was built by Sir George Onesiphorus Paul. (2). Men, women and children were separated. The rules ensured that prisoners had to wash regularly and wore a uniform to prevent them from escaping without being caught. They were taught to read and write and their health would get checked every so often. Rules about the feeding, clothing and accommodation of prisoners were made by the Home Office, and gradually improved during the 19th