'Prisons and the Public' by Margaret Bondfield, JP. (11th October 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: SPARKS, RICHARD
• Editors: Anderson, Clare; Kebbell, Jess; King, Steven
• Is Part Of: Howard journal of crime and justice. Volume 60(2021)Supplement 1
• Page Start: 38
• Page End: 46
• Publication Date: 2021-10-11
• Subjects: abolition -- Howard League for Penal Reform -- Margaret Bondfield -- penal reform -- prisons; Crime -- Periodicals; Justice, Administration of -- Periodicals; Criminals -- Rehabilitation -- Periodicals; 364.05
• DOI: 10.1111/hojo.12439
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2059-1098

Abstract

Abstract: This short article revisits the address that Margaret Bondfield gave to the Howard League for Penal Reform's inaugural annual general meeting, a little over 100 years ago. It seeks both to illuminate the framing of her argument, and note some features of the moment and situation to which it was addressed. I argue that while it is true that Bondfield's speech reveals certain tensions that have remained somewhat intractable in the field of penal reform ever since, it also demonstrates a conviction and ambition that contemporary actors might well wish to seek to recover.