Whitecross Street Prison

Whitecross Street Prison was constructed between eighteen thirteen and eighteen fifteen specifically to house people in debt. Before its creation, those who could not pay their creditors were often thrown into the same cramped, dangerous cells as hardened criminals. This facility stood as an attempt to separate vulnerable debtors from the broader prison population. While it was built to hold up to five hundred people, it functioned as a distinct, specialized institution that replaced the practice of mixing those owing money with those charged with violent crimes.