Elizabeth Fry

In 1817 she founded an association of Quaker women to improve conditions for female prisoners at Newgate, starting a school for the children and a workshop for the women.

In 1818 she gave evidence to a House of Commons committee, arguing for women's prisons staffed by women and for useful work for inmates; the committee's report credited the change she had made at Newgate.

Her ladies' committees spread across Britain and her tours of France, Germany and Holland (1838-43) promoted prison reform; critics such as the Edinburgh Review argued her methods would not stop crime.

In 1817, believing the national reform society would be too slow, she returned to Newgate and set up a school for the child inmates and then a workshop for the women.

This is consistent with starting practical work herself rather than waiting for wider reform. Proactive Agency

In 1817 she wrote a memorandum on the purpose of a prison, listing segregation of women, regular work, cleanliness, a matron and rewards for good conduct, while noting she still needed to consult people who knew well-run prisons.

This is consistent with setting out a plan while recognising the need for more information. Planning Orientation

Setting up the Newgate school and workshop in 1817 led her from working alone to organising a committee of women, and she later came to describe reform as the work of a movement.

This is consistent with moving from solo charity to collective organising, though she was at first reluctant to share control. Collaboration