The first chapter presents history and the development of the colonial prison in Bengal, starting from the implementation of Indian Penal Code in 1860 to the Second World War in 1945. It argues that the introduction of carceral imprisonment in India including Bengal Presidency, following the abolishment of public display, was a punitive strategy to consolidate the British empire in India. The prison was the fundamental part of the colonial rule of law and legal structure in broad. It had a profound connection with the reformative development that took place in Europe. The chapter also indicates how the book uses literary writings alongside colonial archives and official records in the production of alternative history of the colonial prison in Bengal.