Description: Penal Servitude is the first comprehensive study of the convict prison system that housed all those who were sentenced to penal servitude between 1853 and 1948, detailing the administration and evolution of the system, its creation, the building of the prison estate, and the experiences of prisoners and staff within it.
Review Quotes: "There is no other comprehensive study of the convict prison system in England and Wales during this period. Helen Johnston, Barry Godfrey, and David Cox have played a leading role in linking government records with other primary sources to understand a system as a whole, and they put this approach to good use here. Penal Servitude makes a major contribution to the field and is sure to become the standard work on the subject." Neil Davie, Université Lumière, Lyon, and author of The Penitentiary Ten: The Transformation of the English Prison, 1770-1850