Description:In the first half of the 19th century statistical studies seemed to show that Britain was being engulfed by a growing population of hardened young criminals. They stalked the streets, ever alert to the abundant possibilities for pick pocketing and property theft. Reformatories were essentially prisons for convicted young offenders.
In Birmingham a reformatory was opened in Saltley in 1853. Saltley Reformatory originally provided space for 37 boys, rising to 100 by the end of the 19th century. 70 acres of farmland was acquired and outdoor work was given a prominent emphasis until well into the 20th century. Boys were admitted between the ages of about 9 and 17, although as time went on the number of younger boys declined. After 1933 only senior boys were admitted. In 1908 it changed its name to Norton Reformatory after Lord Norton who provided the land in Saltley.
Joseph Pagett was sent to Norton aged 14 for stealing money. He was sentenced to fourteen days hard labour and five years in the reformatory. As with other juvenile inmates Joseph’s details were entered in the register and a photographic record created. Details of his family were also recorded: the late Victorians believed that criminality could be hereditary. Joseph’s family are described as ‘good’ and ‘kind’. He had a job but fell into ‘bad company’.