You’ve never been in before, and that door slams and you’re sat there looking, you’ve got absolutely nothing. The reality of it is a bit overwhelming, to be honest, but you’re a little bit afraid, thinking this is how lonely it’s going to be, and they put me in a cell. Bunk beds, but I was the only prisoner in that cell, on my first night I was thinking “who are they going to put in with me? Could be murderers…” you know, all mad thoughts going on in my head.
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.