Shrewsbury prison is an old, well-run, crowded institution located in the United Kingdom's Midlands close to the Welsh border. Information taken from the Orders of the Shropshire Quarter Sessions (court sessions) published in 1808 is provided to illustrate the differences between the way criminals were treated in prior centuries and the treatment meted out today. The dates for some of the events described extend from the 1700's to the early 1800's. The information presented includes instructions to be observed in burying the bodies of executed prisoners and an explanation of the incentives and earned privileges scheme used at Shrewsbury prison. Based on a comparison of past corrections policy with current policy, the author concludes that prison history has cycles. The 19th century British criminal justice system described in the presented documents emphasizes harshness and the death penalty for crimes that today might get a sentence of less than a year. The United States penal laws were similar in this period. In contrast to this, witness today's American emphasis on longer sentences (mandatory minimums) and "three strikes and you're out." In the past 25 years, 39 States have passed death penalty legislation. Whether any of this deters others from committing the same offense is still debated. Education and treatment programs that had their antecedents in the 19th century still have not gained popular acceptance. When the budget crunch comes, as it has to many units of government, programs for inmates are the first to be eliminated.