This compelling history of our most feared institution charts the growth of the national prison system in England and Wales, from castle dungeon to purpose-built concrete jail. Supported by unique material from The National Archives, it looks at aspects of prison life that stayed constant for centuries: loss of liberty, privacy and comfort; hard labour; restricted rations; solitary confinement; corporal punishment and execution - and describes key developments like Jeremy Bentham's panopticon, the Victorian spate of prison-building, and successive reform acts. Famous prisons from Newgate to Pentonville are depicted, as well as the curiosities, abuses and scandals that occurred within their walls, from the racking of Henry VIII's enemies to the force-feeding of suffragettes centuries later. At the heart of the book are dramatic stories of the men and women who lived or died behind bars.