There was
little interest in prison reform until the end of the eighteenth century.
Up until that time, imprisonment had never been seen as a mode of punishment
so nobody took much notice of what went on in gaols. However, as the
population started to rise and more crimes started to be commited, more
and more people found themselves in prison. Bad conditions were made
worse by the influx of inmates. Slowly, the situation started to draw
the attention of concerned individuals, some of whom started to tour
the country visiting gaols, Bridewells and Houses of Correction. Their
resulting publications brought the subject of prison life to a wider
audience prompting a campaign for prison reform.
We are
going to find out more about prison reform by looking at the work done
by John Howard, Elizabeth
Fry and Joseph Gurney, considering the impact of the reform campaign
on prison rules issued in 1819 and 1865
and by studying the development of the new prison
in Durham.
