A Visit To Newgate

Charles Dickens wrote Sketches By Boz. In this book, a chapter describes the physical description of Newgate prison and its inhabitants. What I observed in the writing were the similarities between Newgate prison and the prisons of today.

Many traditions and circumstances are similar. In the text Dickens talks about turnkeys. “After a little delay, occasioned by sending in to the interior of the prson for the officer whose duty it was to conduct us, that functionary arrived; a respectable-looking man of about two or three and fifty, in a broad-brimmed hat, and full suit of black, who but for his keys would have looked quite as much like a clergy man as a turnkey.” (page 2) The turnkey is what we call a corrections officer today. The officers have keys for every door and lock in the cell house they are running for that shift. They have radios where they can call for backup. They watch the prisoners just as they did in Dicken’s time. Prisoners come from all walks of life. Dickens speaks about the section of the prison that housed the more well to do offenders. “On either side of the school-yard is a yard for men, in one of which-that towards Newgate street-prisoners of the more respectable class are confined.” (page 6). We have our white-collar prisons, but we also have different cells blocks for the varied types of offender. There is high-max for the really bad prisoners, a psych-ward for the insane, and dormitory cell blocks for those that are well behaved. One final similarity is the feeling of anguish felt by the condemned prisoners. Without having a personal account from a condemned prisoner, I can only imagine the anguish in the waiting. “He paces the narrow limits of his cell with rapid strides, cold drops of terror dripping on his forehead, and every muscle of his frame quivering in agony. I cannot imagine being a family member of a condemned person and visiting them for the last time. It must be awful for the prisoner to have to say goodbye. How could you possibly say everything you mean to say to your loved ones.

My husband is a corrections officer at the state prison here in Jackson. He told me that he sees men and young boys, some only seventeen who are trying to get adjusted to prison life. He watches them and is aware of how much of a struggle it is. He does his best to be respectful to these men. He feels they are human, and we all make mistakes. When we make mistakes, we have to pay the cost. These prisoners can be difficult, and some nights he has issues. He is unable to share details with me. He just simply says he had a difficult night. A strange coincidence, is this chapter describes the last moments of a condemned prisoner. A prisoner was just put to death this week at the prison. It made me feel a small amount of pity for the man who was put to death this week.