New Victorian Prisons learning resource

Past Time Toolkit: A Learning Resource about Victorian Prisons is aimed at teachers of GCSE History students and is also of interest to anyone exploring the Victorians, prison history, isolation, or food history. 

The resource is particularly useful to those working with the Edexel GCSE History course’s Crime and Punishment module and contains historical materials on prison discipline, reform, health and prison diet. However, it is equally useful to anyone exploring themes around crime and punishment or just generally interested in history e.g. other school or FE students, writing or drama groups, or organisations working in the criminal justice system.

There are several creative and stimulating activities and practical exercises to try, some suitable for home. The Toolkit contains information about:

• the Pentonville experiment and the separate system
• the prison cell
• hard labour
• governors, chaplains and doctors
• prison reformers
• prison food

Alongside informative articles we have provided discussion points and activities to help bring the topics to life and prompt reflections on the contemporary criminal justice system.

The Toolkit is available free of charge to Non-Commercial Organisations. Please follow the link below to find out more, to register and download the Toolkit: