Pain and Retribution ─ A Short History of British Prisons, 1066 to the Present

David Wilson looks at the way in which prison has to satisfy the demands of three interested parties: firstly, the public, including politicians, media commentators and the general public; secondly, prison staff; and thirdly, the prisoners themselves. Which of these factions has had more power has varied at different points in history, according to the prevailing concerns and issues of the time. The incapacity of the prison to be able to satisfy all three at the same time leads to the prison being in perpetual ?crisis,” and therefore seen as a failure. Ironically, the British 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.

David Wilson is director of the Centre for Applied Criminology at Birmingham City University, UK, and vice chair of the Howard League for Penal Reform. He has presented documentaries on several major British networks and is the author of numerous books, including A History of British Serial Killing and Mary Ann Cotton: Britain’s First Female Serial Killer.