The Curious Mr Howard

Description

‘A riveting account of the great penal reformer’— Guardian

‘Impeccably researched and fascinating’— The Howard Journal

John Howard (1726–1790) is best known as the namesake of the UK’s oldest penal reform charity, the Howard League. In this extensively researched book, Tessa West reveals his legacy and complex character.

Howard was history’s first (self-appointed) prison inspector. Arriving at penal establishments unannounced, he recorded the realities behind closed doors, culminating in his iconic The State of the Prisons. A restless workaholic perfectionist, he travelled through the UK, Russia, Germany, and Holland pushing for systemic change.

West captures a highly singular individual: benevolent, obsessive, focused and lacking social contacts. This book highlights why prisons demand constant scrutiny and shows what a truly great figure Howard was.

‘No-one who reads this wonderful book could dispute that Howard ranks among the most interesting people of his age’— Times Literary Supplement

More Reviews

‘A brilliant book’— Nick Hardwick, Chief Inspector of Prisons

‘Highly readable … has much to commend it’–The BEARR Trust Newsletter

‘An excellent account, well worth reading. Recommended’— Bedford Architectural Archaeological & Local History Society

‘A remarkable book about a remarkable man’— Sir Louis Blom-Cooper QC

‘Biographies can be awe-inspiring, informative and just a trifle heart-breaking and this is one of them’— Phillip Taylor MBE and Elizabeth Taylor of Richmond Green Chambers (full review on YouTube).

‘A much better picture of penal reformer John Howard than I had believed possible’— Dick Whitfield, trustee and former chair of the Howard League

‘This book is a timely reminder of the dreams that inspired one man many years ago, and a reminder that we need John Howard as much or more ­today’— Clive Stafford-Smith (from the Foreword)

Author

Tessa West (1943-2024) worked in prisons and on prison-related matters for many years and held two master’s degrees. When teaching literacy she won a Winston Churchill Travel Fellowship which enabled her to study prison education in Scandinavia. While head of a prison education department she was awarded a Cropwood Fellowship at the Institute of Criminology in Cambridge. After a period as an assistant governor in a contracted-out prison, she worked for the United Nations Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Department in Vienna. She then served two three-year terms as an independent member of the Parole Board. She visited prisons in countries as diverse as Zambia, Hungary and New Zealand. In respect of The Curious Mr Howard she was given the Arthur Welton Award which enabled her to carry out research in Ukraine, where John Howard lived during the last years of his life and died. She is the author of Prisons of Promise (Waterside Press, 1997) and wrote several novels.

Foreword Author

Clive Stafford-Smith is best-known for his often non-profit work as a USA-based British lawyer specialising in civil rights, death penalty cases, and representing those detained in Guantánamo Bay. He founded and was Legal Director of the UK branch of Reprieve, and later The Justice League to mentor human rights lawyers and others. He received the Ghandi International Peace Award in 2005 and is currently Gresham Professor of Law.

Additional information