Comparing Jails and Prisons

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Comparing jails and prisons Sean C CJA/ 234 April 23, In the early 1600 England was assigned responsibility for the poor to parishes. These parishes built workhouses to employ the poor on a profitable basis. This turned out to be a difficult thing to accomplish and during the 18th century workhouses degenerated into mixed receptacles (places to store things), where every type of person was dumped. The Poor Law Amendments of 1834, standardized the system of poor relief throughout Britain. Groups of parishes combined into unions, which became responsible for the workhouses. This law provided that no relief could be given to the able-bodied in their own homes and that all who wanted to receive aid had to live in the workhouses. Conditions in these workhouses were very harsh and degrading in order to discourage the poor from relying on parish relief. In the early 1860's prisons were reformed. In some prisons the cooking was excellent, far better than in most ordinary inns. It seemed that the convicts were not just well fed, but fed as well or even better than some non-criminal Londoners. Food is not the only area where English convicts seemed to far better than non-convicts. The convicts got exercise, had regular habits, sufficient feeding, were healthier than the average population and didn't have to worry about keeping a job. Once a week, every man had an excellent bath. The bedding was good, the whole building was warm and every corner was thoroughly ventilated. It provided schooling for the criminals. They were also allowed to borrow books from an excellent library in the prison. It seemed more advantageous for an Englishman to commit a crime, thereby be convicted to prison, where he could obtain better food, baths and good warm lodging, than if he were struggling on the streets of London. These conditions improved in the later 19th century and by the

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