A prison, as defined by the English Cambridge dictionary, is ‘a building where criminals are forced to live as a punishment’. They come in all shapes and sizes, from one-man lock ups to 20,000 strong mega-prisons such as Los Angeles County Jail. Their functions also differ with specialist centres for women, debtors, juveniles, for the criminally insane and even the disabled.
The history of prisons mirrors that of the growth of societies and states. As populations boomed, the need for laws increased and with it a means of enforcing it. The first written laws are that of the Babylonians with the Code of Hammurabi, in 1750BC, but it isn’t until the romans where we see a tangible shift away from physical punishment and a move towards detention in purpose-built structures.
Throughout the middle ages prisons would pop up as the need arose, with empty storage spaces, castle undercrofts and gatehouses being used to house those deemed to be seditious or rulebreakers. The focus during these periods was physical punishment and execution as a deterrent. The Bloody Code, a name given to the English criminal laws from the 17th century onwards, enshrined capital punishment for no less than 220 offences.
As attitudes towards execution changed, and a more enlightened approach to criminals took hold, permanent prisons sprung up over the country. As the centuries progressed, these structures grew more and more specialised, and improved in their conditions, sanitation and focus on rehabilitation. Repeat offending was mitigated through licensing, letting prisoners with good behaviour out on parole, education, provision of school masters for writing and vocational skills aimed at giving men a trade. One of the most marked changes of all was the aptly named marks system, which allowed prisoners to earn privileges and wages through good behaviour[1].
It was not until 1965 that the death penalty was abolished in the UK and prisons became the strongest form of punishment. It is impossible to tell the history of society without mentioning prisons, institutions at the forefront of reformation, rehabilitation and punishment.
To discover the different types of prisons and the stories of those who populated them, click the images below.
County Gaols, City and Major Prisons
Borough, Bridewells, Houses of Correction, Town Gaols, Liberty Gaols and Compters
Debtor’s Prisons
Lockups and Tollbooths
Hulks![]()
[1]Moore, J., 2011. Alexander Maconochie’S ‘Mark System’. [ebook] University of the West of England, p.2. Available at: <https://www.canonsociaalwerk.eu/1846_maconochie/Moore_PSJ_November_2011_No._198.pdf> [Accessed 15 July 2020].