3.4: case study - separate system & Pentonville prison

• | the separate system

  • built in 1842, prisoners lived in separate cells to:
  • give prisoners an opportunity of individual improvement
  • give prisoners solitude to encourage reform through religious faith & self reflection
  • ensure prisoners were not influenced by other criminals who might encourage them to commit even worse crimes
  • deter people from committing crimes because of the series nature of the punishment
  • ensure retribution- making criminals ‘pay’ fit their behaviour by being punished
• | building

  • 5 wings made of dozens of cells for 520 prisoners in total
  • 4m by 2m floor area_ small window for light
  • heating & ventilation system + water basin and toilet
  • improve health & living conditions whilst ensuring they dont have the chance to see or speak to each other as they had no need to leave their cells
• | conditions

  • highly disciplined
  • thick walls to stop prisoners talking between cells
  • prisoners worked in their cells so they’re isolated through the day & forced to do boring & repetitive work like oakum picking
  • allowed to exercise a bit but we’re forced to wear masks
• solitary conditions and lack of human contact meant many prisoners suffered from mental illness including depression & psychosis & high rate of suicide
• | views

  • reformers, eg fry, concerned abt purpose & design of pentonville
  • reformers wanted opportunity to change their ways & rehab
  • many people in government were more concerned with deterring criminals & punishing wrongdoing than rehabilitation
• | increasingly harsh treatment

  • ‘hard labour, hard fare and hard board‘
  • hard labour: physically demanding work for 12 hours
  • hard fare: boring and bland diet with same food served on the same day every week
  • hard board: wooden beds instead of hammocks prisoners previously slept on