Abstract
Prior scholarship tracing the origins and architecture of prisons has tended to focus on how and why prisons are built—what they are intended to achieve and their construction as an expression of the punitive philosophies of their age. It does not consider how prisons persist as time passes, perhaps beyond their anticipated operational life span, and into “obsolescence.” Focusing on the archetypal Victorian prison, and considering the alteration and inhabitation of such prisons through time, this article critically reinterprets notions of obsolescence in the built environment and explores an enduring cultural attachment to a particular and arguably archaic material manifestation of punishment.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 364-378 |
| Number of pages | 15 |
| Journal | Space and Culture |
| Volume | 25 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| Early online date | 9 Jan 2022 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 1 Aug 2022 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: Funding was received from the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) ES/T005483/1 for the research which underpins this paper.
Keywords
- carceral geography
- obsolescence
- prison
- prison design
- Victorian period
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Cultural Studies
- Geography, Planning and Development
- Arts and Humanities (miscellaneous)
- Urban Studies
- Tourism, Leisure and Hospitality Management