Tallack, William, 1831-1908

British editor and author.

William Tallack (1831-1908) was a British social activist interested in penal reform and heavily influenced by his Quaker faith. Tallack believed that offenders should be offered opportunities for moral education and reflection, so that they could seek salvation and forgiveness in the eyes of God. He advocated for prevention and treatment of crime in addition to methods of deterrence. He pushed for teaching prisoners new skills in order to educate them in personal responsibility and moral rectitude, and believed in isolating criminals in singular cells so that they would be encouraged to repent. Tallack believed that crime was caused by poverty, neglect, and a lack of moral education, so he attempted to eradicate this by campaigning for better schools, housing, sanitation and restrictive alcohol intake.

In 1863, Tallack became the secretary for the Society for the Abolition of the Death Penalty, and in 1866 he became the secretary of the Howard Association, a group named after an eighteenth-century prison reformer. He remained in this position until his retirement in 1901.

Tallack published his views extensively in articles, letters to the press, pamphlets, and books. His most famous books are Defects of Criminal Administration (1872) and Penological and Preventative Principles (1889).

Source: Forsyth, Bill. "Tallack, William (1831-1908)." Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (on-line).