The public, however, got the idea--as in the case
of workhouses--that things were being made too comfortable for the
inmates, and the Society for the Improvement of Prison Discipline
was bitterly attacked.
Mrs Fry had started work in Newgate Prison, then justly considered
to be the worst of all the bad prisons in the country. The condition
of the women and children was too dreadful to describe, and she felt
that the only way to introduce law and decency into this 'hell upon
earth' was by influencing the children.
She founded a school in the prison, and it was not long before there
was a marked improvement in the appearance and behaviour of both the
children and the women.
The success of her work attracted public attention, and a Committee
of the House of Commons was appointed to inquire into the condition
of the London prisons. Mrs Fry was called upon to give evidence, and
she recommended several improvements, _e.g._ that prisoners should
be given some useful work to do, that rewards should be given for
good behaviour, and that female warders should be appointed.
She visited other countries in order to study foreign prison systems,
and her work in the prisons led her to consider what could be done
to improve the condition of the unfortunate women who were
transported as convicts. She succeeded in improving matters so much
that female warders were provided on board ship, and proper
accommodation and care on their arrival at their destination.
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