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More than 5000 entries on the history, culture and life of Britain (published in 1993 by Macmillan, now out of print)
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John Howard
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(1726–90) The first English prison reformer. As *high sheriff of Bedfordshire in 1773, he was horrified by the condition of the prisoners in Bedford jail; and he was shocked to discover that some, already acquitted in the courts, were detained because they could not pay the charges imposed on them (the staff had no salaries and depended on whatever fees could be extracted from the prisoners). The following year Howard persuaded parliament to pass two acts attempting to redress these particular abuses. For the rest of his life he made it his personal mission to visit and inspect prisons, and his work is carried on by the *Howard League for Penal Reform.
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