Changing attitudes to punishment, c1700-c1900

Question 1

What was the number of capital crimes in:
1688
1765
1810
What effect did this have on the public?

Answer 1

1688: 50
1765: 160
1810: 222
increasingly questioned the death penalty, alternative punishments such as transportation reformed prison service introduced.

Question 2

Why did Transportation to Australia start?

Answer 2

Until 1783 convicts were sent to America, after the war of independence was lost in 1783 England had to find a new place. Instead, convicts were sent to Australia.

Question 3

Why was transportation used?

Answer 3

Seen as an effective deterrent more humane alternative to the death penalty. Most convicts had been convicted of theft, not serious crimes.

Question 4

How many people were transported to Australia?

Answer 4

160,000, one-sixth woman

Question 5

What were the practical advantages of Transportation?

Answer 5

• Britain’s prisons were not designed to hold a large number of people, alternative to building new prisons.
• Prisoners would help populate the new colony.

Question 6

What was the convict’s journey like?

Answer 6

• Held in hulks before leaving.
• the trip took 3 months to keep below deck in dirty, cramped conditions.
• once the sentence was over, convicts normally couldn’t afford to return home.

Question 7

When did transportation end? What were the 6 main changes in attitudes in Australia and Britain that helped this end?

Answer 7

Australia:
-Belief that ex-convicts were responsible for high crime rates.
-Free settlers argued convict workers meant fewer jobs for themselves.
Britan:
-Campaigners said either convict ships were inhumane or punishment was too lenient.
-Australia became a desirable place to go after gold was discovered there.
-Concerned about costs of prison colonies
-Reform of prisons leads to more prisons in Britain - less need for transportation.

Question 8

What 6 main concerns brought an end to a public execution?

Answer 8

• Supposed to be viewed as something to fear, became a carnival-type event. Trade for shop keepers etc.
• Argued that those dying should have more dignity so should not be viewed.
• crowds were often drunk and disorderly.
• Public executions were fun, rather than a scary deterrent.
• crowds mocked authorities and treated condemned criminals as a hero.
• large crowds provided more crime opportunities. theft, etc.

Question 9

What 5 main views motivated prison reforms?

Answer 9

• Less harsh alternative to bloody code and took away concerns about transportation.
• Opportunity to change and rehabilitate.
• prison term deter others from crime.
• Hard work to pay back society.
• made society safer by keeping criminals away.

Question 10

What were the 2 different views of prison reformers?

Answer 10

• Should be a place of punishment, kept in bad conditions and lots of hard work.
• Place of rehabilitation.