Pentonville prison
Why Pentonville was built
Causes:
- With the Bloody Code ending and transportation being reduced, Britain needed more prisons.
- Reformers believed prison should prisoners, not just hold them.
- Reformers wanted to stop prisoners learning more crime from each other.
, in London, opened in 1842. It was built for the : prisoners were kept apart from each other as much as possible, to reflect on their crimes, work, and turn to religion.
Pentonville became a model. Dozens of new prisons were built in the same way over the next few years.
Key terms
The separate system in operation
- Cells: each prisoner had his own cell, with heating, a toilet and a washbasin, where he ate, slept and worked.
- Work: prisoners worked alone in their cells, for example weaving or making shoes.
- No contact: when prisoners left their cells, for exercise or chapel, they wore caps with peaks covering their faces. In chapel, each sat in a separate cubicle.
- Silence: prisoners were not allowed to talk to each other.
- Religion: the chaplain visited regularly, and prisoners read the Bible.
The wings of the prison spread out from a central hall, so warders could watch many cells at once.
Key terms
Strengths and weaknesses
| Strengths | Weaknesses |
|---|---|
| Cleaner, healthier conditions than the old gaols | Long periods alone harmed prisoners' mental health, and some took their own lives |
| Prisoners could not learn crime from each other | It was expensive to build and run |
| Work and religion aimed to reform prisoners | There was little evidence that it reformed people |
| Strict and unpleasant, so meant to deter | Many felt it was cruel |
Change: by the late 19th century, the separate system was used less strictly, and later abandoned.
Significance: Pentonville shows the new idea that prison should reform criminals, but also how hard that was to achieve.
Exam tip
For 'strengths and weaknesses', judge them against the system's aims: did it reform prisoners, and did it deter crime?