Alexander Paterson, prison reformer / Harry Potter.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Potter, Harry, 1954- author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Paterson, Alexander, Sir, 1884-1947.

Paterson, Alexander.

Prison reformers--Great Britain--Biography.

Prison reformers.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (xvi, 432 pages) : digital, PDF file(s).

Place of Publication:

Woodbridge : The Boydell Press, 2022.

Summary:

Sir Alexander Paterson (1884-1947) is best remembered for his role as Commissioner of Prisons and as the individual responsible for some of the greatest British innovations in the field of penal practice. All major prison reforms of his day can be associated with his name. One of the key characteristics of Paterson's reform drive was that he brought a much more 'scientific' approach to penology, encouraging psychiatrists and psychologists to work in prison. He was the prime mover behind the rapid expansion and transformation of the Borstal System and the introduction of open prisons, gaining Britain an international reputation for being at the forefront of penal reform. Harry Potter's account is the first biography of Alexander Paterson and it is based on unpublished material from government and family archives. Besides his achievements as prison reformer, Paterson's life encapsulated many trends in English society in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries: from the influence of Liberalism and Unitarianism in the industrial heartland of his youth, the Idealist philosophy of Thomas Hill Green at Oxford, to the impact of school and university 'missions' in the dark reaches of London. At Oxford he became friends with Clement Atlee. He also knew the radical Winston Churchill and it was Churchill who in 1910 first appointed him to a leading role in the aftercare of prisoners. Paterson's most formative years were undoubtedly spent living in a slum dwelling in South London when he devoted his time and energy to the Oxford and Bermondsey Medical Mission, one of the university settlements so common at the time - Attlee famously spent years in Hailesbury boys' club and Toynbee Hall in the East End. Paterson went on to publish a best-selling book - Across the Bridges - on his experiences in the South London slums. After a distinguished service in the Great War, Paterson devoted the rest of his life to the prison service at home and to penal reform abroad. Given current debates about prison reform and the general challenges the penal system is facing, revisiting Paterson's life and work will be a timely endeavour. Harry Potter - criminal barrister, historian and former prison chaplain - is ideally suited to write this biography.

Contents:

Front Cover

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations

List of Abbreviations

Preface: A Good and Useful Life

The Paterson Family Tree

PART I: The Young Idealist: 1884-1914

Chapter 1 - Early Years and Influences: 1884-1902

Chapter 2 - Alma Mater: 1902-1906

Chapter 3 - Across the Bridges: 1906-1910

Chapter 4 - Bridging the Gap: 1910-1914

PART II: The Happy Warrior: 1914-1922

Chapter 5 - Reading, Digging and Singing: 1914-1915

Chapter 6 - Waste of Muscle, Waste of Brain: 1916-1919

Chapter 7 - A Labour of Love: 1919-1922

PART III: Prison Commissioner: 1922-1945

Chapter 8 - Paterson's Light Horse: 1922-1934

Chapter 9 - Solvitur Perambulando: 1922-1924

Chapter 10 - The 'Paterson Era': 1922-1939

Chapter 11 - Prison Wallah: 1925-1926

Chapter 12 - Expert Witness: 1925-1933

Chapter 13 - The Transformation of Borstals: 1922-1930

Chapter 14 - Long March to Lowdham: 1930-1939

Chapter 15 - The Enigma of Harold Jones: 1921-1941

Chapter 16 - Voyage of Discovery: 1931

Chapter 17 - From Dartmoor to Berlin: 1932-1935

Chapter 18 - Strange New World: 1937

Chapter 19 - Policy, Progress and the Onset of War: 1938-1939

Chapter 20 - War Work: 1939-1943

Chapter 21 - West Africa and Malta: 1943-1944

PART IV: Crossing the Bridge: 1945-1947

Chapter 22 - Picking up the Pieces: 1945-1946

Chapter 23 - Death, Commemoration, Legacy: 1947 and Beyond

Bibliography

Index

Back Cover.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Other Format:

Print version: Potter, Harry Alexander Paterson: Prison Reformer

ISBN:

1-80010-445-6

1-80010-446-4

OCLC:

1290486194