Attitudes to punishment Flashcards
What was the purpose of punishment in the Medieval Era?
- Deterrence, retribution and to keep order
- Keep the punishment public and harsh in
order to do this. Show justice was being
done.
Purpose of punishment in the early modern era
- Deterrence, retribution and to keep order
- Keep the punishment public and harsh in
order to do this. Show justice was being
done.
How were prisons used in the early modern era?
Prisons were only used to temporarily hold
offenders or debtors.
Attitude change to punishment in the Early Modern Era
Some change in attitude came with
Elizabethan Poor Laws where government
set up Houses of Correction.
Changes in attitude in the Industrial Era
-
Major change was the introduction of
transportation and the attitude of
banishing criminals as well as an
alternative to the death penalty. - Especially as workers were needed for
the new colony PLUS some felt the
Bloody Code was unfair but didn’t want
to let criminals off.
How were prisons used in the Industrial Era?
Prisons – increasingly used as Bloody
Code reduced to 5 crimes for death penalty and change in attitude to prison and towards reform
- Did lead to overcrowding
- Gaols Act 1823 – improved security and
sanitation - Separate and silent systems introduced
focus on punishment and reform
Did the silent and separate system and the Gaols Act 1823 work to reform convicts?
These did not work and so the Gov
decided to return to deterrence using
harsh methods
1865 Penal Servitude Act – ruled that all
prisoners should experience hard labour,
hard fare and hard board.
* E.g. hard work, bread and water and hard
bed
How did attitudes towards execution change in the industrial era?
Attitudes changed and public execution was banned in 1868
How did attitudes towards crime change in the modern era?
Attitudes shifted more towards retribution and rehabilitation.
How did the juvenile system change in the modern era?
1908: Borstals focused on discipline and authority
First one opened in Kent
What were Borstals designed to do?
They were designed to educate and reform young offenders, so inmates had access to education and training courses. There were strict rules in borstals, and until 1962, boys in borstals were whipped.
When were Borstals abolished?
1982
What were Borstals replaced with in 1982? And what did it involve?
Youth Detention Centres
Which involved much stricter, almost military, discipline. This did not work, and
youth re-offending increased to 75%.
How did corporal and capital punishment attitudes change in the modern era?
Capital punishment abolished in 1969
Timothy Evans
Evans was hung for the murder of his baby daughter.
There was a lack of forensic proof to confirm this, but he was still given capitol punishment
Later the remains of 6 other women was found in the walls of his Neighbour John Christie.
Evans was wrongly executed and given a posthumous pardon in 1966.
