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City of London Corporation

To Detain or to Punish

Literary event
£5
3 September 2025
5.30pm
Book cover for 'To detain or Punish' and an engraving showing prisoners on a treadmill
Prisoners on a treadmill

Dr Kiran Mehta introduces her new book To Detain or to Punish: Magistrates and the Making of the London Prison System, 1750–1840. Explore the diverse penal landscape of 18th century London, including how imprisonment was more common than is generally acknowledged, alongside how London authorities reformed the prison system from the late 18th to mid-19th century.