Liverpool is one of the cleanest Victorians, out of most of them I’ve been. Very clean. Scrubs has rats and cockroaches. You turn off the light and they’re coming in. If you’re on the ones and twos, they’re coming in. If you’re not on the threes or fours, you’re in trouble. This is very much I’ve not seen no rats or cockroaches since I’ve been here, so this has clearly been cleaned and pest controlled. I can give that one thing. I still wouldn’t eat food off the floor though.
We want to understand what these prisons are like to live and work in, and how has this changed over time. We are examining the ways that these prison buildings carry traces of the past, while operating in the present day.
The project considers how and why these buildings have survived for so long, and asks how we will know when they have reached the end of their operational lives. We consider the significance of the Victorian prison in shaping public and professional ideas of what prison should be like. Crucially, this project explores the implications of the continued operation of Victorian-era prisons for the contemporary prison service, and aims to inform policy development.