Since the beginning of man's time on earth there has been crime. It is human nature to break the rules and if the society of that time judges the crime as wrong, it is human nature to punish. Prisons have been institutions that have been around for centuries but prison reform did not start coming into its own until the mid 18th century.
The Father of Prison Reform
Living up to his nickname quite well, John Howard is credited with starting the prison reform movement in the mid 1700's after being taken prisoner in Brest, France and then being moved again up the French Coast. He was later exchanged for a French officer held by the British, and he quickly traveled to the Commissioners of Sick and Wounded Seamen in London to seek help on behalf of his fellow captives. It is believed that it was this experience that generated his interest and drive to reform prisons. After being elected the High Sheriff of Bedfordshire, he gained the power to inspect and reform the prison system in England. He was shocked to see the states that inmates were living in and brought their conditions to the attention of Parliament in 1774. From 1777 to 1790 Howard extensively traveled Europe conducting surveys and improving the state of prisons in may different countries. He wrote multiple books on the matter and was awarded honorary degrees and awards for his work.
Legacy Today
Almost eighty years after his death, the Howard Association was formed in London, with the aim of "promotion of the most efficient means of penal treatment and crime prevention" and to promote "a reformatory and radically preventive treatment of offenders". In its first annual report in 1867, the Association stated that its efforts had been focused on "the promotion of reformatory and remunerative prison labor, and the abolition of capital punishment." The Association merged with the Penal Reform League in 1921 to become the Howard League for Penal Reform. Today, the Howard League is Britain's biggest penal reform organization.
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