Documentary overview

About The Horrifying Story Of The Victorian Alcatraz | How The Victorians Built Britain

Michael Buerk discovers how the Victorians instituted a revolution in law and order, created the first modern police force and built the prisons Britain still relies on today. He begins in Spike Island, County Cork, dubbed "Ireland's Alcatraz", where he learns about the terrible conditions endured by convicts awaiting transportation to Australia, and hears the stories of those who tried to escape. Next, Michael travels to Crumlin Road Gaol in Belfast, discovering why the Victorians embarked on the biggest prison-building programme in British history - and why their efforts at prisoner rehabilitation didn't always succeed. And in Glasgow, he discovers why the city became home to the country's first recognisably modern police force.

The Horrifying Story Of The Victorian Alcatraz | How The Victorians Built Britain is presented by Absolute History. Its listed runtime is 43 minutes. The source link and publisher attribution are provided with the embedded film.

As a society documentary, The Horrifying Story Of The Victorian Alcatraz | How The Victorians Built Britain uses horrifying, victorian, alcatraz as its central frame. Social documentaries work best as invitations to examine systems through lived experience. Distinguish individual testimony from wider claims, and consider which institutions, incentives and inequalities shape the choices shown.

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Film information

Documentary details and original source

Title
The Horrifying Story Of The Victorian Alcatraz | How The Victorians Built Britain
Category
Society
Runtime
43 minutes
Language
English

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