3,257
edits
Changes
→Modern Development
The publication by John Howard, <i>State of Prisons </i>, influenced the design of prisons in Britain and Europe. The idea of clearly divided cells, paid professional staff working prisons, having separate administration in prisons, and dividing the sexes within prisons began to develop. He also advocated the use of work and religious instruction as a way to help individuals and that prisons should be inspected to prevent potential for abuse. He stated that feeding and care of prisoners should be at a high standard. These reforms continued into the early 19th century, when at this point religious movements, such as the Quakers, began to minister in prisons, where they provided not only religious instruction but also tried to continue improving the treatment of prisoners.
The philosopher Jeremy Bentham advocated the role of prisons to more greatly focus as incarceration facilities that also provided for rehabilitation of prisoners proved to be influential in leading to the development of modern prisons. Millbank Prison in London(Figure 2), built in 1816, is often considered the first truly modern prison, where there was a large yard, prisoners had fixed sentences of periods of incarceration, and it served as a national penitentiary that the state used as the form of punishment. While the prison proved to be expensive to run, ultimately diminishing its role, it served as the model that subsequent prisons, such as Pentonville built in 1842, which still exists today, developed. Religious instruction, work, and exercise became the common pattern followed in prison, where this idea now spread, including the building of other prisons throughout Europe and the United States.
By the late 19th century, there was greater attention to the mental state of prisoners. Solitary seclusion was no longer seen as always being an appropriate punishment, and social time was seen as needed. Reform to the mental well being as well as the character of prisoners began to spread as an important idea into the 20th century.
[[File:Millbank Prison Plan.jpg|thumbnail|Figure 2. Millbank Prison was influential in its design and administration of prisoners.]]
==Summary==