This book examines the role of protestant theology on the penal system of eighteenth-century England. While modern historians of crime admit that religion played an important role in the conception and practice of justice, relatively little work has been done to assess just how these two pillars of early modern society interacted. This study examines the theological background to the Penitentiary Act of 1779--a deeply theological piece of legislation that conflated punishment and hard labour with the ability to redeem sinners. Whereas Catholic theology stressed the role of purgatory after death, this study looks at how the Church of England fostered a sense of earthly purgatory for those convicted by the criminal justice system.

Vols. for 1898-1968 include a directory of publishers.