Crime and Punishment Flashcards
What is a Crime?
An act of breaking the Law
What is Law Enforcement?
Catching criminals and deciding whether their guilty or not
What is a Punishment?
Consequence of crime
What factors cause change?
Beliefs, Attitudes and Values Wealth and Poverty Urbanization Government Science and Technology
When is the Medieval Period?
1250-1500
What is a Felony?
A serious crime
What is a Petty Crime?
A less serious crime
What is an Outlaw?
Someone who is on the run to escape the law
What new crimes emerged from the Medieval Period?
Vagrancy
Scolding
Heresy
What is Vagrancy?
When someone wanders from place to place in search of work
What is Scolding?
Using offensive/abusive language in public
What is Heresy?
Spreading beliefs that didn’t come from the church
Why was Suicide considered a crime?
It was believed that only God decides when a life should end
Who enforced the law during the Medieval period?
King Sheriff Chief Constables/Hundred Parish Constables People
How did the King enforce the law during the Medieval period?
In charge of keeping the King’s peace
How did the Sheriff enforce the law during the Medieval period?
King’s agent in each county
Powerful lords who would do the King’s work without pay
They made income by taking some money from fines
How did Chief Constables/Hundred enforce the law during the Medieval period?
Appointed each year to supervise law and order in their area
Usually quite wealthy farmers
Gained local status
Made sure every free man is ready to fight incase the need to join army
How did Parish Constables enforce the law during the Medieval period?
One year appointment
One responsible man
Had to make sure that the parish was armed and equipped when needed
How did People enforce the law during the Medieval period?
Essential in keeping Law and Order
Adult men grouped into 10 people called Tithings. If one man broke the law, it would be the others responsibility to take them to court
People were expected to take part in the Hue and Cry (people run after criminals)
What courts were there in the Medieval period?
Royal Courts County Assizes Manor Courts Borough Courts Church Courts
What is a Royal Court?
Deals with the most serious crimes
Jurors must know the accused
What is a County Assize?
Royal courts judges visited each county 2 - 3 times a year
Justice’s of the Peace (JP’s) were judges of their own court (Quarter Sessions)
What is a Manor Court?
Dealt with most of the crime
Mainly used for petty crimes
What is a Borough Court?
Court for local people in towns
What is a Church Court?
Dealt with moral crimes
Different courts
Moral crimes include failure to attend church and adultery
How could a person avoid trial in the Medieval period?
Run
Seek sanctuary
Have powerful friends
Refuse to plead
How could a person avoid the Death Penalty?
Buy a pardon from the King Join the King's army Be pregnant Claim benefit of the clergy Become a King's approver
What types of punishment were the in the Medieval period?
Fines
Public Humiliation
Imprisonment
Death Penalty
What is a Fine?
Large sum of money to be paid
Most common punishment
Most fines went to the King
What is Public Humiliation?
Used for less serious offences
Mostly issued by the Manor or Borough courts
Examples include being forced to stand in the Pillory/Stocks
What is Imprisonment?
Gaols were used to help unserious crimes such as debt
Rough and unhealthy
Not the same as prisons today
What is the Death Penalty?
Being sentenced to death
What types of death executions were there?
Hanging
Hanging, Drawing and Quartering
Burnt Alive
Variation of Hangings
What is Hanging?
Slow strangulation
What is Hanging, Drawing and Quartering
Hanged but taken down while alive, and cut into pieces
Punishment for counterfeiting and treason
What is being Burnt Alive?
Cremated while still alive on a bonfire
Used for petty treason and heresy
What is Variation on Hangings?
Thrown off Dover cliffs
Buried alive at Sandwich
Tied to a rock of Sicily Isles
When is the Early Modern period?
1500-1750
What new crimes emerged within the Early Modern period?
Smugglings
Highway Robbery
Witchcraft