Abstract
ABSTRACTThis article examines how Liverpool Borough Prison, opened in 1855 as one of the largest local prisons in England to adopt the separate system, categorized and dealt with mental distress and disorder amongst its prison population in the late nineteenth century. High prison committal rates in Liverpool, alongside high levels of recidivism, especially among female prisoners, led to severe overcrowding and encouraged a harsh disciplinary regime. Exacerbated by the poor physical and mental condition of the prisoners, this produced a challenging environment for maintaining the separate system of confinement and prisoners’ mental well-being. While official figures for the rates of mental disorder in local prisons are not readily available, Liverpool Prison’s diverse and under-exploited archives and official reports indicate that insanity caused prison officials and visiting justices great concern, and many prisoners were declared unfit for the rigours of prison discipline. Our article explores the implications of the ever more punitive, deterrent and physically taxing penal policy implemented in the late nineteenth century on the minds of prisoners. Despite the heavy toll on prisoners’ mental well-being, such cases were often retained by prison medical officers reluctant to acknowledge the failure of the prison to deter, reform and redeem.
Highlights
KEYWORDS Liverpool Borough Prison; mental disorder; local prisons; punishment; reform; separate system of confinement; penal policy; discipline; prison medical officers In March 1888 Charlotte Oakley, a prisoner in Liverpool Borough Prison,1 was charged with insubordination
During numerous sentences served in Liverpool Prison, Oakley was repeatedly punished for ‘misbehaviour’ and regularly disrupted prison discipline
Through a fine-grained study of Liverpool Prison in the second half of the nineteenth century, this article explores the management of inmates like Oakley in local prisons, whose sentences coincided with deteriorating mental health
Summary
KEYWORDS Liverpool Borough Prison; mental disorder; local prisons; punishment; reform; separate system of confinement; penal policy; discipline; prison medical officers In March 1888 Charlotte Oakley ( known as Creswick), a prisoner in Liverpool Borough Prison,1 was charged with insubordination. In her mid-20s, Roman Catholic and Irish, Oakley was described by the prison’s visiting justices, warders, doctors and the government inspector, as ‘intemperate’, ‘dangerous to others’ and ‘a prostitute’. During numerous sentences served in Liverpool Prison, Oakley was repeatedly punished for ‘misbehaviour’ and regularly disrupted prison discipline.
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