Changes In Crime And Punishment - Enforcing Law And Order Flashcards
How was the community responsible for enforcing law and order in medieval times?
Tithings of ten adult men who were responsible for bringing each other to court if they broke the law
If a victim raised the hue and cry everyone was expected to help catch the criminal
The sheriff would call an armed posse to search for them
Two chief constables appointed each year to help supervise law and order in an area
Parish constable made sure village responded properly to crime
What were the manorial, church and royals courts in the late medieval period?
Manor courts
Church courts
Royal courts
What were manor courts?
Took over the work of local courts to judge petty crimes that affected the area, including theft, fights, land disputes and debts. The lord or steward ran the court with a jury. Each manor had its own local laws.
What were church courts?
More lenient court for churchmen. Seen over by the local bishop and never sentenced to death. Delay with moral offences, such as not attending church., drunkenness, adultery. Someone on the run from the law could claim sanctuary in a church.
What were royal courts?
For the most serious criminal cases. Jurors came from the criminals area. In 1293 King Edward I ordered royal judges from London to visit each county 2 or 3 times a year to try cases of various crimes. Called county assizes lasting until 1971.
What happened in the 1500s to community policing?
Still worked in rural communities but growing towns and cities made it very difficult.
What did JPs do in the sixteenth century?
Oversee and organise local parish constables and watchmen
Monitor and control beggars and vagrants and administer 1601 Poor Law
Enforce government orders and punish those who disobeyed
How often were JPs elected?
Every year
Who were parish constables?
Held unpaid post for a year as well as their day job. Kept order in the local area and caught and arrest those who broke the law. Could call on people to give him assistance.
Who were the watchmen?
Did the same as parish constables but at night. No uniform, carried a bell, a lantern and a weapon
Why were unpaid local people ineffective?
The population was growing so rapidly. In 1663 Charles II passed an act for a paid force of watchmen in London known as Charleys. Pay was low and done by people which couldn’t get work elsewhere.
What idea developed in the nineteenth century?
Policing should be government responsibility
Why was there opposition to the idea of a national police force?
Limit individual freedom and liberty by allowing the government to interfere
Give the police too much power which they could use to limit the rights of individuals
Expensive and would cause taxes to rise
Who were the Bow Street runners?
Part time constables who worked for the Bow Street Magistrates Court. Introduced by the Fielding brothers and were very effective at tackling crime in their area. Showed a paid police force was effective. Idea of preventative policing developed.
When was the Metropolitan Police established?
1829 - organised paid police force was needed in London. There were public meetings set up to organise people against the police and at first police were seen to take the side of criminals in court.
