Page 17 - All About History - Issue 52-17

sEnt to thE towEr Act of Parliament a homE
In 1660 an
pardoned any criminal
Primarily a fortress and royal palace but used acts during the English for thE
OVER 800 YEARS exceptions homElEss
as a prison for Civil War with some
During the The last Houses of Correction
two World prisoners are created in Britain
Wars were to rid the country
12 the Kray of overwhelming
twins in
numbers of vagrants
men were and homeless. In order
executed to be released they
here for must rid themselves
espionage of ‘laziness’.

1100-1952 1400

off to thE nEw world ship shapE thE prisonEr army

Britain deports prisoners to both America Old disused ships are used by the English and Desperate
and Australia, sometimes for what seem French as ‘hulks’ or floating prisons. Anchored to reduce
like very minor offences, such as stealing a in rivers and on coastlines they are cramped and the large
chicken. A total of 50,000 prisoners disease-ridden but easy to guard. numbers
are deported in this period alone. in Britain’s
prisons,
America could
no longer be used lawbreakers
as a destination after are offered
Britain lost the War of the choice
Independence of a military
pardon – join
the army
rather than
go to jail –
and many do.

1786-1791 18th CEntury 17th CEntury

thE risE of thE roCk prison politiCs sEparation thE Big piCturE

Alcatraz prison is opened in San The rise of prison camps and isolation In 2012 there are
Francisco Bay to hold is started by the British in 10.1 million
the most dangerous Prisoners the Boer War, and develops Pelican Bay Prison in
prisoners in the are allowed hot through the century to California becomes the people in prison all The isolation
USA. Its reputation showers. It’s believed the Russian Gulags, Nazi first to keep all prisoners around the world without exercise in a
this will stop them supermax prison can
is to become part Concentration Camps and confined in isolation from
from braving the cold The USA prison be for as long as 23
of American and waters of the Bay America’s Guantanamo Bay. each other for maximum population in this year is hours per day
prison folklore. to escape! security, and so becomes
2.3 MILLION
the first ‘supermax’ prison.
This equates to

© Alamy, Getty Images
Americans in prison
1934 20th CEntury 1989 2012

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