November 30, 2001
Back to the Future: a 19th-Century Take on Penal Reform
Why, I am often asked, would a criminologist write a book through the eyes of a 19th-century naval captain, his daughter, and a convict? Why fiction? Those questions suggest not implausible skepticism. So I reply with a confession, a plea in mitigation, and a challenge to my profession.
In 1840, Alexander Maconochie, a retired British officer living a privileged life, took over and transformed one of the most brutal penal colonies in history: Norfolk Island, 1,000 miles off the coast
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