Part of History Crime and punishment in Britain, c.1000 to the present day Prisoners at Pentonville prison spent nearly all their time alone and in their cells, for as many as 23 hours in each day.

This began with Pentonville prison in London, which opened in 1842. By 1850, 50 new prisons had been built or reconstructed, and the number had risen to 90 by 1877. In 1877, the government took ...

Police have urged people not to approach two men who escaped from Pentonville prison in North London, leaving pillows shaped as bodies in their beds. James Whitlock and Matthew Baker are believed ...