Historical Background of Military Prisons

Prior to 1844, soldiers sentenced to imprisonment served their time in civil prisons. A Royal Commission set up in 1836 recommended a separate system of military prisons. These were very similar to civil prisons and were staffed by directly recruited warders who were not serving soldiers. By the end of the 19th Century these establishments were causing concern as they were not a success at rehabilitating soldiers.

Creation of the Corps

It was decided to replace civil type punishment (being locked in cells all day, picking oakum etc) with tough corrective military training designed to turn bad soldiers into good ones. Prison Officers were not suited to conduct this type of regime so a specialist corps of NCOs and Warrant Officers was formed by Army Order 241 of December 1901, entitled the Military Prison Staff Corps.

Composition of the Corps

Applicants had to be at least 5’7’’ and under 35, Corporals or Sergeants with 2nd Class Certificates of Education. They had to be good drill instructors and disciplinarians with skill in a trade being highly desirable.They had to have the “very good” character marking and be sober and temperate, one offence of drunkenness in the previous 6 years or more than two since enlistment disqualified a candidate.The essential qualities were laid down as “tact and good temper, zeal and intelligence”.

Creation of the Modern Corrective System

Army Order 114 of 1906 formally created the two part corrective system that was to serve the Army through the 20th Century. This comprised “Detention Barracks” (largely rehabilitative and short stay) and “Military Prisons” (largely retributive and long stay). At the apex of this system was the Inspector of Military Prisons and Detention Barracks. The Corps name was changed to the Military Provost Staff Corps.

Plans for War

During the South African War only Detention Barracks had operated in theatre and many soldiers had found that committing an offence serious enough to warrant being sentenced to Military Prison had got them sent home out of harm’s way. The Army was determined that such a situation would not arise again and accordingly set up a committee in 1907 under the Chairmanship of the Director of Personal Services, Major General GF Browne CB to draw up a scheme for correctional facilities in active theatres of operations. The scheme drawn up was essentially the one that was operated in both world wars and was laid down in “Rules for Military Prisons in the Field 1913”.

The system of corrective training adopted at home was deemed unsuitable for active service. Only Military Prisons were to be operated in the field, but the conditions in them were to be so harsh that only short sentences would be necessary. Governors of Military Prisons in the field were all to be of field rank with powers to award field punishment (unlike in the UK where Governors could be as low as lieutenant and the harsher extra punishments could only be awarded by a board of visiting officers). The “stage system” whereby soldiers under sentence could earn extra priveliges within the prison was not to be operated although remission could still be earned. Conditions were always to be harsher than on active service.

Military Prisons in theatres of active operations were to be located at railheads and advanced depots where prison labour could best be utilised.Prisoners were to be given a “hard days work” of a “useful character” defined as loading and unloading stores at ports and railheads, preparing entrenchments and field fortifications, breaking stones for road building and sanitary duties. If work was unavailable prisoners could be drilled with heavy weights for not more than three hours a day. “A hard days work” was defined as 450 foot tons, a useful table being appended to the rules to allow staff to work out how hard their charges were working (for example marching a mile with 60 lbs of equipment is 25.93 foot-tons worth of work).

Diet was on no account to be better than that of troops in the field with no extras or luxuries. Jam, cheese, tobacco, rum, pepper, tea and coffee were specifically banned.

Scale of rations for prisoners in the field:-

¾ lb of beef or mutton
24oz of bread or biscuits
4oz of Potatoes
2oz of rice or oatmeal
1 oz of suet, lard or dripping
½ oz of lime juice daily OR ½ lb fresh vegetables twice weekly

The last item was only to be issued if available to troops in the field. The Governor of a Military Prison could use restriction of diet as a punishment for delinquent inmates.

War Time Prisons

B.E.F

The first two Military Prisons in France were opened on ships moored in the harbours of Le Havre (500 Prisoners) and Rouen (700 Prisoners). By 25th January 1915 they were full. The prisoners worked 12 hour shifts unloading ships, supervised by MPSC personnel armed with revolvers.

These two expanded first to five and then to ten more conventional establishments, one of which was specifically for Chinese inmates.

Home

Demand for cells outstripped supply and the following civil facilities were taken over:-

HMP Kilmainham, Dublin
HMP Wandsworth (first one wing, then the whole gaol)
HMP Wakefield (first one wing, then the whole gaol)
HMP Stafford (one wing and the grounds, which were large enough for route marches)
HMP Hereford
HMP Brecon
HMP Chelmsford
HMP Barlinnie, “D” Hall
HM Special Hospital, Parkhurst, Isle of Wight

The following non-penal establishments were also taken over:-

St Pauls School, Hartlepool
St Davids Convent, Mold

War Time Innovations

The Army Act of 1881 had abolished flogging, empowering certain officers to award Field Punishments No.1 and No.2 in its stead. Field Officers acting as Governors of Military Prisons in the field could award these punishments.

These punishments were normally intended to be both awarded and carried out regimentally, but the peculiar circumstances of the Western Front gave rise to the setting up of “Field Punishment Centres” under the control of the Assistant Provost Marshals. The first of these was established at the fortress of Boulougne. By the end of 1914 there was a shortage of handcuffs. Originally these centres were staffed by the MP’s, but later warders were recruited from other units by the APM’s. These men qualified for extra pay after completing a satisfactory probationary period.

Owing to it giving rise to unfortunate racial feeling, a ruling was made that Field Punishment for the Bermuda RGA, British West Indies Regiment, Cape Corps and South African Labour Corps was only to be carried out regimentally.

With thanks to Ian Smart for this excellent article