While traversing the Dictionary of Victorian London online, I decided to take a further look at the Victorian prison system, specifically how crime was dealt with by the public, and how prisoners themselves were treated.

I found it very interesting that seemingly very extreme lengths were taken by the public to ensure that they did not run afoul of criminals, to the point where advertisements were made which displayed such clothing articles as the “Patent Antigarotte Collar,” a device placed around the neck to prevent one from being strangled.

While the use or even invention of this device may seem comical at first, it’s quite alarming to imagine a person walking the streets wearing this, or that criminals choking people was apparently as commonplace to even warrant this invention. I also took a look at the recorded ages of prisoners in London prisons, and was surprised to find that most were between the ages of fifteen and twenty, and that there was a single prisoner being held who was between the ages of five and ten. One can only wonder what a small child did to warrant being arrested and imprisoned. Lastly, I decided to research if there were any rehabilitation programs available to prisoners who were awaiting release, and discovered that there was a program for boys between the ages of thirteen and fifteen who were of sound mind and in prison for three years or less, called the “Cornwall Training Ship.” Whether or not this reformatory taught young men how to become sailors or work on ships I could not discover, but it would appear that not much help was given to adult prisoners after their release, as I could find nothing except the issuing of parole tickets. Interestingly, I couldn’t find any information on female prisoners, meaning that nothing on them was documented, or that there were so few female prisoners that it did not make it into this dictionary.

All information taken from “The Victorian Dictionary.” Jackson, Lee. Web. 26 August 2015.