Crime and Punishment / 1842-1877
Crime and Punishment: Pentonville and Separate System
Pentonville used isolation and discipline to make prisoners reflect on crime.
What To Remember
- Pentonville opened in 1842 and became the model prison for the separate system.
- The separate system kept prisoners isolated to stop bad influence and encourage repentance.
- Pentonville shows the 19th-century move from public execution and transportation towards imprisonment, discipline, and reform.
The Separate System
Prisoners spent most of their time alone in separate cells, with thick walls and very limited contact.
They were kept apart during exercise and chapel, sometimes using separate stalls or masks to prevent communication.
The aim was to make them think about their crimes, listen to religious instruction, and leave morally improved.
Work and discipline
Prisoners did repetitive work such as picking oakum, which meant unravelling old rope.
Strict silence, routine, and isolation were supposed to teach obedience and self-control.
The workbook describes Pentonville as the first of 90 new prisons built between 1842 and 1877.
Limits
Pentonville was built because execution was declining and transportation was increasingly criticised.
Although the separate system aimed at reform, isolation could be psychologically damaging.
It is therefore a strong example of Victorian punishment combining humanitarian ideas with harsh discipline.
Revision Prompt
Did the separate system at Pentonville show progress, harshness, or both?