Maconochie's Gentlemen

In 1840, Alexander Maconochie, a privileged retired naval captain, became superintendent of two thousand twice-convicted prisoners on Norfolk Island, a thousand miles off the coast of Australia. In four years, Maconochie transformed what was one of the most brutal convict settlements in history into a controlled, stable, and productive environment that achieved such success that upon release his prisoners came to be called "Maconochie's Gentlemen". Here Norval Morris, one of the most renowned scholars in criminology today, offers a highly inventive and engaging account of this early pioneer in penal reform.