IN PRISON AND OUT by Hesba Stretton

Full title: Facts on a Thread of Fiction: In Prison and Out.
Quick Take:
Mrs. Fell, a poor, but moral, woman lived with her two children, David (14) and Bess (13). David went begging for money to buy basic necessities and is arrested. He went to jail for three months and is labeled a jail-bird. He is led into this new identity from society’s treatment and subsequently goes deeper into crime.
My impression:
This story illustrates the need of reform of the criminal justice system of nineteenth century England. Hesba Stretton seems to contrast the necessity of begging for food with unfair criminal penalties, and how sending children to jail might hinder their whole life.
Further reading:
At the end of the story there is reference to the book: The Gaol Cradle: Who Rocks it? by Benjamin Waugh.