Penal History Museums and the Memorialization of Jailors and Wardens

• In Event: Prison Tourism

Abstract

In popular culture representations of prisons such as in films and television shows, jailors and wardens often figure centrally as part of the plot. Yet little is known about how the ways that penal history museums depict these authority figures and their activities. Drawing from literature on representations of criminal justice and carceral cultures, we argue that one way the objects, signs and symbolism in these heritage sites foster distance between prisoners and penal spectators is through the romanticization of the role of jailors and wardens as ‘lawmen’ who are integral to maintaining community order and family men who ‘do right’ by their children and wives. Contributing to studies of penal tourism, we conclude by reflecting on what our findings mean for criminal justice and criminological literature on representations of prisoners, prison staff and incarceration.

Author

• Kevin Walby, University of Winnipeg