NCJ Number
99140
Date Published
1985
Length
304 pages
Annotation
This book traces the historical development and social significance of penal strategies in Great Britain from the Victorian era to the present, exploring the relationship of punishment to politics, the rise of criminology as a discipline, and the developmental ties between penal reform and the modern welfare state.
Abstract
The first chapter describes the late Victorian penal system (1865-95) and the modern system, formulated in the brief period between the Gladstone Committee Report of 1895 and the outbreak of World War I. Social, political, and ideological conditions which contributed to this transformation are discussed. The book shifts to reform programs which contributed to changes in the penal system: the growth of criminology as a legitimate discipline; the shift from charitable giving to social work; the emergence of social security schemes involving labor exchanges, a system of insurance, and labor colonies; and the eugenics program which commanded the attention and support of an important section of the British establishment in the 1900's. Ways in which elements of these diverse reform movements were combined to revamp penal and social systems between 1895 and 1914 are examined. The final chapters trace how these programmatic elements entered into official practice and functioned once they got there. Topics considered include official reports, the merger of public and private agencies, administrative initiatives, and parliamentary enactments. The appendixes contain an annotated list of official reports pertaining to penal and social regulations published 1894-1914 and a list of major penal measures enacted in that period. A bibliography of approximately 400 references and an index are supplied.