Elizabeth Fry is lauded as an early 19th century prison reformer. But she had no formal background or training in prison or social work.

Research:
BREED, ANNA. “ELIZABETH FRY.” Advocate of Peace (1847-1884), vol. 13, no. 3, 1882, pp. 21–22. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/27906270 
Britannica Editors. "Elizabeth Fry". Encyclopedia Britannica, 17 May. 2026, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Elizabeth-Fry
Britannica Editors. "Sir Thomas Fowell Buxton, 1st Baronet". Encyclopedia Britannica, 28 Mar. 2026, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Sir-Thomas-Fowell-Buxton-1st-Baronet
Buxton, Thomas Fowell. “An inquiry, whether crime and misery are produced or prevented, by our present system of prison discipline.” London. J. and A. Arch. 1818. https://archive.org/details/b33283333/page/14/mode/2up
Cooper, Robert Alan. “THE ENGLISH QUAKERS AND PRISON REFORM 1809-23.” Quaker History, vol. 68, no. 1, 1979, pp. 3–19. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/41946871
Cooper, Robert Alan. “Jeremy Bentham, Elizabeth Fry, and English Prison Reform.” Journal of the History of Ideas, vol. 42, no. 4, 1981, pp. 675–90. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/2709127
Corder, Susanna. “Life of Elizabeth Fry.” Philadelphia. H. Lonstreth. 1853. https://archive.org/details/lifeofelizabethf00cordiala/page/n9/mode/2up
Craig, Russell L. “Correctional Education Historical Vignette: WOMEN IN CORRECTIONS: Elizabeth Gurney Fry.” Journal of Correctional Education, vol. 57, no. 2, 2006, pp. 141–44. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/23282705
Crawford, William, and Whitworth Russell. “Extracts from the second report of William Crawford and Whitworth Russell, Esqs., the Inspectors of Prisons for the Home District ; addressed to the Right Honourable the Secretary of State for the Home Department.” National Library of medicine. Philadelphia : Republished by the Philadelphia Society for Alleviating the Miseries of Public Prisons, 1838. https://collections.nlm.nih.gov/catalog/nlm:nlmuid-101596454-bk
Foxhall K. From convicts to colonists: the health of prisoners and the voyage to Australia, 1823-53. J Imp Commonw Hist. 2011;39(1):1-19. doi: 10.1080/03086534.2011.543793
Griffiths, Arthur. “The Chronicles of Newgate.” LONDON: CHAPMAN AND HALL
(Limited). 1884. Accessed online: https://www.gutenberg.org/files/46746/46746-h/46746-h.htm
Kent, John. “Elizabeth Fry.” London. B. Batsford. 1962.
Rose, June. “Elizabeth Fry.” New York. St. Martin’s Press, 1981. 

Elizabeth Fry is lauded as an early 19th century prison reformer. But she had no formal background or training in prison or social work.
Research:
<ul>
<li>BREED, ANNA. &ldquo;ELIZABETH FRY.&rdquo;&nbsp;Advocate of Peace (1847-1884), vol. 13, no. 3, 1882, pp. 21&ndash;22.&nbsp;JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/27906270&nbsp;</li>
<li>Britannica Editors. "Elizabeth Fry". Encyclopedia Britannica, 17 May. 2026, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Elizabeth-Fry</li>
<li>Britannica Editors. "Sir Thomas Fowell Buxton, 1st Baronet".&nbsp;Encyclopedia Britannica, 28 Mar. 2026, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Sir-Thomas-Fowell-Buxton-1st-Baronet</li>
<li>Buxton, Thomas Fowell. &ldquo;An inquiry, whether crime and misery are produced or prevented, by our present system of prison discipline.&rdquo; London. J. and A. Arch. 1818. https://archive.org/details/b33283333/page/14/mode/2up</li>
<li>Cooper, Robert Alan. &ldquo;THE ENGLISH QUAKERS AND PRISON REFORM 1809-23.&rdquo;&nbsp;Quaker History, vol. 68, no. 1, 1979, pp. 3&ndash;19.&nbsp;JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/41946871</li>
<li>Cooper, Robert Alan. &ldquo;Jeremy Bentham, Elizabeth Fry, and English Prison Reform.&rdquo;&nbsp;Journal of the History of Ideas, vol. 42, no. 4, 1981, pp. 675&ndash;90.&nbsp;JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/2709127</li>
<li>Corder, Susanna. &ldquo;Life of Elizabeth Fry.&rdquo; Philadelphia. H. Lonstreth. 1853. https://archive.org/details/lifeofelizabethf00cordiala/page/n9/mode/2up</li>
<li>Craig, Russell L. &ldquo;Correctional Education Historical Vignette: WOMEN IN CORRECTIONS: Elizabeth Gurney Fry.&rdquo; Journal of Correctional Education, vol. 57, no. 2, 2006, pp. 141&ndash;44. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/23282705</li>
<li>Crawford, William, and Whitworth Russell. &ldquo;Extracts from the second report of William Crawford and Whitworth Russell, Esqs., the Inspectors of Prisons for the Home District ; addressed to the Right Honourable the Secretary of State for the Home Department.&rdquo; National Library of medicine. Philadelphia : Republished by the Philadelphia Society for Alleviating the Miseries of Public Prisons, 1838. https://collections.nlm.nih.gov/catalog/nlm:nlmuid-101596454-bk</li>
<li>Foxhall K. From convicts to colonists: the health of prisoners and the voyage to Australia, 1823-53. J Imp Commonw Hist. 2011;39(1):1-19. doi: 10.1080/03086534.2011.543793</li>
<li>Griffiths, Arthur. &ldquo;The Chronicles of Newgate.&rdquo; LONDON: CHAPMAN AND HALL (Limited). 1884. Accessed online: https://www.gutenberg.org/files/46746/46746-h/46746-h.htm</li>
<li>Kent, John.&nbsp;&ldquo;Elizabeth Fry.&rdquo; London. B. Batsford. 1962.</li>
<li>Rose, June.&nbsp;&ldquo;Elizabeth Fry.&rdquo; New York. St. Martin&rsquo;s Press, 1981.&nbsp;</li>
</ul>

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Elizabeth Fry is lauded as an early 19th century prison reformer. But she had no formal background or training in prison or social work.

Elizabeth Fry

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