House of correction facts for kids

A house of correction was a special type of building in England, created after a law called the Elizabethan Poor Law (1601). These places were meant for people who were poor, homeless, or didn't have jobs. The idea was to give them work to do. Even though they were related to the Poor Law, houses of correction were seen as separate because the law treated people who lived in one place differently from those who wandered around.

The very first house of correction in London was Bridewell Prison. Other similar places opened in Middlesex and Westminster in the early 1600s.

What Were Houses of Correction?

In the late 1600s, more and more houses of correction were built. They were often called bridewells after the first one. This happened because of a movement to improve public behavior. Many new laws were passed that said people who committed small offenses should be sent to these houses.

Who Was Sent There?

Local judges, called justices of the peace, usually sent people to houses of correction. These judges could make quick decisions for minor offenses without a long trial. Interestingly, more than two-thirds of the people sent to these places were women.

Most people didn't stay very long. Over half of them were released within a week, and two-thirds were let go within two weeks.

What Did They Do There?

Almost everyone sent to a house of correction had to do hard work. A common task was beating hemp, which is a plant fiber used to make rope or cloth.

In 1720, a new law allowed houses of correction to be used for holding people before their court date. This included homeless people and others accused of small offenses. By the 1760s and 1770s, most people held in the Middlesex and Westminster houses were waiting for their trials.

Houses of Correction Today

In some parts of the United States, the term house of correction is still used. For example, in Massachusetts and Maryland, it means the same thing as a state jail. Milwaukee County, Wisconsin also has a separate house of correction, different from its main jail.