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  3. The State of Prisons of England, Scotland and Wales
  • Cited by 1
Publisher:
Cambridge University Press
Online publication date:
May 2012
Print publication year:
2011
First published in:
1812
Online ISBN:
9781139095334
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781139095334
Subjects:
Social and Population History, British History after 1450, History
Series:
Cambridge Library Collection - British and Irish History, 19th Century
Information

Book description

James Neild (1744–1814), penal reformer and philanthropist, first became interested in the welfare of prisoners after visiting a friend jailed for debt. He went on to investigate prisons across Britain, France, Flanders, and Germany, fundraising to release those incarcerated for petty debt. In 1772 he helped establish the Society for the Relief and Discharge of Persons Imprisoned for Small Debts (the Thatched House Society), which succeeded in freeing over 16,000 debtors. Published in 1812, this work records the findings of Neild's thorough survey of debtors' prisons in Britain, and also discusses those imprisoned for other minor criminal offences. Neild exposes the harsh sentences assigned to debtors and petty criminals, using this evidence to support his campaign to improve the conditions of the prisoners and to stop imprisonment for debt. His efforts to improve the conditions of prisoners eventually influenced parliamentary reforms of the penal system.

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