| Act of Parliament | |
 | |
| Long title | An Act to amend the Law relating to Prisons in England. |
|---|---|
| Citation | 40 & 41 Vict. c. 21 |
| Territorial extent | England and Wales [2] |
| Dates | |
| Royal assent | 12 July 1877 |
| Other legislation | |
| Repealed by | Prison Act 1952 |
Status: Repealed | |
The Prison Act 1877 (40 & 41 Vict. c. 21) was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland that aimed to alter the way in which British prisons were operated.
By the 19th century, concerns had been raised about the uncoordinated and incoherent nature of the prison system in Britain. Many gaols were operated by local authorities, to a varying degree of quality. The Prison Act 1865 had increased central controls over these prisons, but local practices continued to vary widely.
In 1877, Parliament took the major step of enacting a long-standing proposal to centralise the running of British prisons.
The Home Secretary was given powers over the new structure, which was delegated in the act to the new Board of Prison Commissioners, supported by an inspectorate and central staff. Further legislation was not felt necessary until 1895. [lower-alpha 1] [3]
The Inclosure Acts created legal property rights to land previously held in common in England and Wales, particularly open fields and common land. Between 1604 and 1914 over 5,200 individual acts enclosing public land were passed, affecting 28,000 km2.
The Ballot Act 1872 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that introduced the requirement for parliamentary and local government elections in the United Kingdom to be held by secret ballot. The act abolished the traditional hustings system of nomination and election in Britain.
The Mutiny Acts were an almost 200-year series of annual Acts passed by the Parliament of England, the Parliament of Great Britain, and the Parliament of the United Kingdom for governing, regulating, provisioning, and funding the English and later British Army.
A Consolidated Fund Act is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom passed to allow, like an Appropriation Act, the Treasury to issue funds out of the Consolidated Fund.
An Appropriation Act is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom which, like a Consolidated Fund Act, allows the Treasury to issue funds out of the Consolidated Fund. Unlike a Consolidated Fund Act, an Appropriation Act also "appropriates" the funds, that is allocates the funds issued out of the Consolidated Fund to individual government departments and Crown bodies. Appropriation Acts were formerly passed by the Parliament of Great Britain.
County Courts Act is a stock short title used for legislation in the United Kingdom and Victoria relating to county courts.
The Short Titles Act 1896 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It replaces the Short Titles Act 1892.
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The Debtors Act 1869 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland that aimed to reform the powers of courts to detain debtors.
The Supreme Court of Judicature Act (Ireland) 1877 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that brought about a major reorganisation of the superior courts in Ireland. It created a Supreme Court of Judicature, comprising the High Court of Justice in Ireland and the Court of Appeal in Ireland. It mirrored in Ireland the changes which the Supreme Court of Judicature Act 1873 had made in the courts of England and Wales.
In Malaysia and the United Kingdom, the short title Prison Act refers to legislation relating to prisons.
Public Health Act is a stock short title used in the United Kingdom for legislation relating to public health.
The Contagious Diseases (Animals) Act 1878 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom passed by Benjamin Disraeli's Conservative government.
The Electric Lighting Acts 1882 to 1909 are Acts of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. They comprise four public general Acts: the Electric Lighting Act 1882 ; the Electric Lighting Act 1888 ; the Electric Lighting (Clauses) Act 1899 ; and the Electric Lighting Act 1909. The 1882 Act was the first public measure to facilitate and regulate the early electricity industry in the UK. It enabled the Board of Trade to authorise the supply of electricity in any area by a local authority, company or person. Its provisions allowed suppliers to avoid the effort and expense of promoting Private Parliamentary Bills to regularise their legal powers to supply electricity. The 1888 Act amended the 1882 Act and extended the local authority reversion period from 21 to 42 years. The Electric Lighting (Clauses) Act 1899 incorporated in one Act the clauses and provisions contained in provisional orders made under the 1882 and 1888 Acts. It laid down common principles to be incorporated in all provisional orders. The Electric Lighting Act 1909 amended the earlier legislation to reflect the need to reorganise electricity supply to take into account technical developments in the generation and transmission of electricity. The Electric Lighting Acts were amended by subsequent legislation, such as the Electricity Act 1947 which nationalised the electricity supply industry. The Electric Lighting Acts 1882 to 1909 were repealed in their entirety by the Electricity Act 1989, which privatised the UK electricity supply industry.
The Municipal Corporation (Elections) Act 1869, sometimes called the Municipal Franchise Act 1869 or the Municipal Corporation (Election) Act 1869, was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.
