Pain and Retribution A Short History of British Prisons, 1066 to the Present
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David Wilson is one of the UK’s leading and most controversial criminologists. He is Director of the Centre for Applied Criminology at Birmingham City University, and Vice Chair of the Howard League for Penal Reform, Vice President of New Bridge and Chair of the Friends of Grendon. He has presented documentaries on the BBC, Channel 4 and Channel 5, and is the author of the best-selling A History of British Serial Killing (2010).Even for someone like me who has had first-hand experience of prison, this book is a revelation. The costly, ­dysfunctional prisons we have today simply recycle people into crime. Yet the authorities think the clang of the cell door makes for ­better citizens. Perhaps this excellent history may make a difference . . . Wilson wants the public to cut through the half-truths that they are being fed and understand that it is perfectly possible to have less crime, safer communities and fewer people in prison. But will a single judge, MP or editor read these wise words?
Vicky Pryce, <i>The Independent</i>
A millennium of jails, their inmates and those in charge makes riveting reading . . . <i>Pain and Retribution</i> is a thoroughly entertaining and informative read. Written by the charismatic David Wilson, the former prison governor turned criminology professor and media personality, the book rolls along at a cracking pace, full of gossip and anecdotes that illuminate what really happens within the belly of the beast . . . Wilson writes powerfully and affectingly about the continuing role of the prison as a primary site of state-sanctioned violence directed at the socially disadvantaged, whose life chances and all too frequently, lives are cut short by their placement on the penal production line.
<i>Times Higher Education</i>
Criminologist and prison reformer Wilson has written a fascinating, multisided view of prisons as they have developed over the centuries, including the Tower of London, Newgate, and Millbank and their successors. . . . Wilsons treatment is a broad one, and he uses writings of officials, prisoners, and guards, and even describes the effects of reality TV shows on public awareness. It is not a happy story, but Wilson sees hope in a serious commitment to rehabilitation as evidenced by the successful drug courts he visited in Brooklyn. An interesting book that will have broad appeal. Highly recommended.
<i>Choice</i>
Taking a starting point of 1066 Wilson quickly gets to the nitty gritty of the nineteenth century, where incarceration altered from simple imprisonment to being an actual punishment in itself . . . The anecdotes are fascinating, the reality is grim. An honest and provoking book.
<i>Diplomat Magazine</i>
In <i>Pain and Retribution</i> former prison governor-criminologist-media commentator David Wilson offers a largely narrative, light-touch historiographical and theoretical analysis, and an accessibly written account of different aspects of the long history of confinement/imprisonment largely in England and Wales, with a few references to Scottish practices.
<i>Law, Crime and History Journal</i>
A polemical assault upon those who believe prison works, with the added merit of including Scotlands divergent penal policies, which tend to be neglected . . . Wilson has written a compelling indictment, if another were needed, of what Andrew Rutherford has termed Britains gaol fever. The books conclusion surely bears frequent re-statement: mass incarceration does not have to be our future.
<i>Criminal Law and Criminal Justice Books</i>
<i>Pain and Retribution</i> is impressive in both scope and detail. David Wilson has provided an important contribution filled with key insights and revelations about imprisonment since the 11th century. The book is honest, direct and compelling and does not shy away from exploring the sometimes brutal truth of penal confinement. <i>Pain and Retribution</i> thoroughly engages with the current organisational, political and humanitarian crises of imprisonment and in so doing highlights the need for radical reform. Written in a clear and lucid manner, readers will find this book not only engaging but also challenging and it should be essential reading for those interested in academic study of prisons and punishment, alongside members of the general public and those fascinated by the real crime genre.
David Scott, Senior Lecturer in Criminology at Liverpool John Moores University
A fine book which simultaneously entertains and educates about one of the most important social tools at our disposal. Wilsons authority on crime, criminals and prison is beyond dispute. Anyone who is interested in how our prisons have become what are, and in what they want those strange places to achieve, should read it with a sense of hope and optimism.
Erwin James, <i>Guardian</i> Columnist
Pain and Retribution charts the rise and rise of a form of punishment that takes place behind the walls of the institution we have come to call ‘prison’. It is the first single-volume history of British prisons, charting their history from the time of the Norman Conquest to the present day. Written by a former prison governor who is now one of the country’s leading criminologists, the book offers unrivalled insight into the prison system in England, Scotland and Wales.
David Wilson, using criminological theory, looks at the way in which the prison has needed to satisfy the demands of three interested parties: first, the public, including politicians and media commentators; second, prison staff; and third, the prisoners themselves. The amount of influence each of these different factions had has varied at different points in history, according to the prevailing concerns and issues of the period. The inability of the prison to satisfy all three groups at the same time means that the prison system is perpetually in crisis, and is therefore seen as a failure. Ironically, the prison system continues to prosper in terms of the numbers of prisoners incarcerated and the vast amount of money that society invests in keeping them locked up.
Pain and Retribution explores prison as an institution and discusses not only who gets imprisoned but also what happens to people when they are ‘banged up’. David Wilson investigates how prisons are designed and how they are organized and managed, allowing the reader access to all areas, from the prison landing to the people behind the locked doors, including the prison staff. He asks searching questions about the purpose of Britain’s current prison system and why prison exerts such a hold on the collective psyche and imagination.
Introduction
1. Grand Castles and Thieves’ Holes
2. Prisons, Penitentiaries and the Origins of the Penal System
3. The Prisons Act of 1877 and the Gladstone Report of 1895
4. Decarceration and the Interwar Years
5. From World War to World Cup, 1945-1966
6. Custody, Security, Order and Control, 1967-1991
7. Politicians, the Public and Privatization, 1992-2010
Endings and Beginnings; Beginnings and Endings
References
Bibliography
Acknowledgements
Photo Acknowledgements
Index