THE SHELF

To some people, the thought of hitting the exercise treadmill every day would be a cruel and unusual punishment. Ironically, this response is much closer to the the truth than might be expected. The actual invention of the treadmill, in 1818, by the Englishman William Cubit was meant for use in prisons as a correctional tool. Concerned that prisoners were too idle, he engineered mechanical treadmill systems that would enforce daily activity as well produce useful work. Cubitt’s treadmills, or “tread-wheels”, required the prisoner to continually step upwards upon a rotating wooden cylinder or within a wheel-like form, not unlike a hamster on an exercise wheel. Prisoners would hold onto a horizontal handrail for stability. These treadmills became very popular in Victorian England with larger models developed to accommodate several prisoners side by side for upwards of 10 hours per day (the equivalent of climbing a 12,000 ft mountain). While the initial intent for the treadmill was punishment, and it was often used solely for that purpose, it also became a standard way to grind grain or pump water for the prison facility. Somewhat popular in America, correctional facilities gradually stopped using the treadmill in favor of even more severe “hard labor” options, such as breaking rocks, clearing swamps, or bricklaying. Eventually, even England abandoned the treadmill at the end of the 19th century as too cruel.

“I have to certify to the court, that the Tread-mill has been in full operation
 ever since the last Midsummer Sessions, and on an average from
 seventy-five to eighty prisoners have been daily employed on the Wheels, 
the proportion of females being very small, not amounting to more than ten 
or twelve at any time, and generally not exceeding six or eight. The male 
prisoners, when at work, are three fourths on the Wheels, and one-fourth 
at rest; the females, one half on the Wheel, and the other half at rest;
 and during the six months the Mill has been at work, I have never heard 
of one prisoner, male or female, receiving any injury, either in their limbs 
or general health, and as far as I am capable of forming a judgment, I consider the labour at the Tread-mill not as injurious, but conducive to the health of the prisoners.”

A cross section of the treadmill showing the handles

“If any prisoner or prisoners are observed to be talking while 
on the Tread-wheel, they are deprived of their next turn for 
rest. Two officers are in constant attendance at the time”

A listing of dietaries for the prisoners at English prisons

For the Horsley House of Correction the daily intake was —
“One pound and a half of bread, one pint and a half of gruel, and one pound and a half of potatoes per day”

Description:

Society for the Improvement of Prison Discipline and for the Reformation of Juvenile Offenders (London, England). Description of the tread mill for the employment of prisoners :with observations on its management. London : Printed by T. Bensley, 1823.

Persistent Link:

http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:FHCL:14023484

Repository:

Widener Library

Institution:

Harvard University

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