Violence at Pentonville prison has increased by more than 50% since ... drugs and self-harm." Opened in 1842, Pentonville is one of the country's busiest prisons, with about 33,000 movements ...

Part of History Crime and punishment in Britain, c.1000 to the present day Prisoners at Pentonville prison spent nearly all their time alone and in their cells, for as many as 23 hours in each day.

This began with Pentonville prison in London, which opened in 1842. By 1850, 50 new prisons had been built or reconstructed, and the number had risen to 90 by 1877. In 1877, the government took ...