Delineating the Fine Line Between the Mad and the Bad: Victorian Prisons and Insane Asylums, 1856-1914

Abstract

<p>The discovery of gold in nineteenth-century Victoria propelled society into a period of enormous change. Amidst unprecedented levels of immigration and intra-colonial migration, a widespread institutional building boom took place to officially control the newly formed mass transient population. Beechworth was one of many new towns to emerge in mid-nineteenth century Victoria and can be viewed as an exemplar of similar gold rush townships across the colony. Against a backdrop where fortunes were as easily lost as won, H.M. Prison Beechworth opened in 1864 and Mayday Hills Lunatic Asylum opened in 1867 as official mechanisms to control this evolving diaspora.</p> <p>This thesis focuses on the relationship between the Gaol and Asylum in Beechworth to determine their level of interconnectedness and to understand how the mad and bad were treated and managed between 1856 and 1914. Using a mixed method approach, my research begins in eighteenth-century Britain, tracing the origins of the modern prison and lunatic asylum, and ends with a local case study of these two institutions in Beechworth.</p> <p>My research demonstrates that the determination of whether an individual was institutionalised in a gaol or a lunatic asylum in late nineteenth-century Victoria was distinguished by a defined, rather than fine, line. Data sets created from prisoner and patient records, in addition to analysis of other archival material, identifies a distinct use of both institutions and, consequently, the funnelling into each of two distinct cohorts of ‘deviant’. The Gaol was used for short term stays with high rates of movement between gaols and high levels of prisoner recidivism. In contrast, the Asylum was used for longer term stays accommodating individuals considered a burden on society as evidenced by high levels of ill-health and death. This is most apparent in the experience of Chinese nationals, who were incarcerated in the Asylum at a disproportionate level.</p> <p>During a period in which institutions focused on classification and the growth of institutional specialisation, Beechworth Gaol housed prisoners convicted of minor offences with Pentridge Prison in Melbourne identified as the location for serious offenders. Analysis of patient records and the low rate of discharge and high rate of death identifies Beechworth Asylum as a repository for the chronically mentally unwell, although it was never officially categorised as such. This is most clearly shown by an analysis of patients transferred to Beechworth Asylum from other asylums across Victoria. Transfers between the Gaol and Asylum were minimal, and while they were connected during their formative years because of shared origins and philosophies, they developed along different paths with minimal inmate movement and no obvious sharing of staff or policies. This thesis assists in deepening our understanding of how the mad and bad were managed in late nineteenth-century Victoria. </p>