Children in Prison and Other Cruelties of Prison Life

The essay recounts the author's observations of very young prisoners and argues that the prison system's regimes — solitary cellular confinement, meagre, inappropriate diet, and rigid disciplinary regulations — inflict terror and physical harm on children. It characterizes institutional cruelty as stemming from centralization and officialism rather than malice, and contrasts punishment administered by society with that by familiar individuals. An instance of a warder dismissed for giving biscuits to a hungry child is presented to illustrate how humane gestures are prohibited, demonstrating how rules dehumanize both inmates and staff.