Disorder Contained is the first historical account of the complex relationship between prison discipline and mental breakdown in England and Ireland. Between 1840 and 1900 the expansion of the modern prison system coincided with increased rates of mental disorder among prisoners, exacerbated by the introduction of regimes of isolation, deprivation and hard labour. Drawing on a range of archival and printed sources, the authors explore the links between different prison regimes and mental distress, examining the challenges faced by prison medical officers dealing with mental disorder within a system that stressed discipline and punishment and prisoners' own experiences of mental illness. The book investigates medical officers' approaches to the identification, definition, management and categorisation of mental disorder in prisons, and varied, often gendered, responses to mental breakdown among inmates. The authors also reflect on the persistence of systems of punishment that often aggravate rather than alleviate mental illness in the criminal justice system up to the current day. This title is also available as Open Access.

‘Drawing on a wide range of primary sources, this book is a fascinating contribution to historiography on British penal history. It offers a mental health lens through which to examine the penal process and is a chilling reminder that disciplinary systems that make prisoners amenable and malleable can also have serious detrimental impacts.'

Alyson Brown - Edge Hill University

‘Cox and Marland bring rich expertise to this investigation of the histories of mental breakdown inside the prison system of England and Ireland. Disorder Contained points to deep tensions inherent in the treatment of mental illness inside carceral institutions still relevant in our present.'

Catharine Coleborne - University of Newcastle (Australia)

‘Disorder Contained explodes the assumption that only recently have prisons come to house large numbers of people with mental illness. In this important, powerful book, Cox and Marland demonstrate that mental illness and the prison system have a long, troubled history together rooted in the nineteenth century. This is a study not just of value to historians but also for anyone interested in prison reform today.'

Nancy Tomes - Stony Brook University

‘Disorder Contained is a study of impressive breadth and value, which clearly advances debates across the fields of medical, institutional, and penal history. It uses a rich vein of sources to uncover the long-standing relationship between mental illness and the prison system across both islands. In doing so, this book clearly speaks to a growing body of research from across the history of medicine and institutions, while also spotlighting the impact of mental health issues within disciplinary systems.’

David Kilgannon Source: H-Net: Humanities and Social Science Reviews Online

‘a convincing - and at times disturbing - account of the effect of prison discipline on the mental health of inmates in 19th-century English and Irish prisons … Recommended.’

P. C. Kennedy Source: Choice

‘… research-rich and meticulously documented … [the authors’] exhaustive use of prison records, convict files, laws, and legislation supports their rigorous discussion of whether prisoners should enter a place of instruction and probation or a place of oppressive punishment.’

Sarah E Maier Source: Victorian Studies