crime and punishment 4 Flashcards
Explain why there were changes in the use of capital punishment in the years c1700-c.1900
Bloody code introduced (1723) and abolished (1820s)
- death penalty for 200+ offences (e.g poaching)
- abolished by Robert Peel as: juries would not convict, public executions weren’t working, changing ideas
Transportation
- bloody code too harsh
- deterred crime; used for repeat offenders
- abolished in 1868 (holiday & wages in australia were higher)
Prison system
- prisons cheap > transportation
- way to reform - provided correction
- used more so > captial punishment
Explain why there were changes in the use of capital punishment in the years c1700-present
Bloody code:
- crimes punishable by death rose to 225 by 1815
- abolished by Robert Peel as: juries wouldn’t convict, public executions weren’t working, changing ideas
Derek Bentley:
- falsely accused 1953 of shooting officer
- mental age: 5; misunderstood ‘let him have it’
- public concern: unjust trial led to execution; changed opinion on cap. punishment and led to eventual ban
Transportaion
- bloody code too harsh
- deterred crime; used for repeat offenders
- abolished in 1868 (holiday & wages in australia were higher)
Explain why there have been changes in the use of prison as a punishment in the period c1700–present.
Silent system:
- silence prisoners to minimise communication and enforce isolation
- had to so tasks like treadwheel / carrying cannon ball
- 1865 Prison Act - hard labour, hard fare, hard board (failed deterrent)
Open prison 1933:
- prepare prisoners to return to community & lead life w/o crime
- minor offenders - free to leave
- focus on reforming; moved away from harsh punishment
Juvenile prisons:
- give education & chance to reform
- borstals (1902 - 1988)
- youth detention centres - deter youth by providing quick shock
Explain why there were changes in the crime of witchcraft in the period c1500-c1700
Changes in religion:
- unrest: henry viii broke from church
- < turmoil as country kept switching
- each side accused other of supporting devil
- < witch craft (henry made made punishable by death; elizabeth changed so it had to be tried in court, 1604 james enforced death penalty to those ‘summoning evil spirits’)
- trial by water: determine innocence
Matthew Hopkins:
- self proclaimed witchfinder general
- led to 300ish people being investigated, 112 hanged
- triggered witch hunts
War:
- left women widowed - vulnerable
- led to economic problems - people looked for scapegoats
- weakened control of local authorities - witch hunts
Explain why there were changes in the crime of highway robbery in the period c1700-c.1900
Increased trade & travel:
- start of 18th century - many roads resurfaced / improved so < travel
- led to more trade. no banks so people carried < money than before
- more targets for < money
Decreased due to death penalty:
- penalty for anyone armed & disguised on high road
- acted as deterrent for committing crime
Ended due to banking system:
- less people carried around < money
- less profit made from crime
- after 1815, became very rare - last reported in 1831
Explain why there were changes in the way that religion affected definitions of crime in the period c1500-c1700.
Heresy:
- belief that opposes official religion
- mary I burned 280 protestants; lizzie executed 250
Gunpowder Plot 1605:
- plan to blow up james & parliament
- led by Robert Catesby; seen as treason
- james passed stricter measures against catholics: Popish Recusants Acts 1606 forced Catholics to: swear oath of allegiance to monarch, attend church or pay fine
- plotters were hanged, drawn & quartered to deter future rebellions
Act of Supremacy:
- passed in 1534
made henry viii supreme head of church of england
- refusing to swear oath of supremacy = punishment e.g sir thomas executed for treason
Explain why there have been changes in the way that government has used prisons from c.1800-present day
Silent system:
- silence prisoners to minimise communication and enforce isolation
- had to so tasks like treadwheel / carrying cannon ball
- 1865 Prison Act - hard labour, hard fare, hard board (failed deterrent)
Open prison 1933:
- prepare prisoners to return to community & lead life w/o crime
- minor offenders - free to leave
- focus on reforming; moved away from harsh punishment
Juvenile prisons:
- give education & chance to reform
- borstals (1902 - 1988)
- youth detention centres - deter youth by providing quick shock
Explain why there were changes in the definitions of crime in the period c1500-c1700.
Vagabondage:
- by 1500s, < pop. and > jobs
- before vagrancy was not a problem; by 1547 - punishable be slavery or execution
Smuggling:
- import tax introduced on goods like tea and brandy
- people secretly smuggled it in to avoid paying
- seen as social crime (not serious)
Witchcraft:
- minor in medieval times
- laws passed to make it serious crime: 1542 - henry made punishable by death, 1563 elizabeth changed so it had to be tried in court, 1604 james enforced death penalty to those ‘summoning evil spirits’
Explain why there were changes in law enforcement in towns and cities in the period c1000-c1700.
Population growth:
- 1700: London’s pop. rose to 50,000
- < crime opportunities & > familiarity
- methods like hue & cry - ineffective
- introduced town constables for more general law enforcement
Reward money:
- constables & watchmen not effective at hunting
- people resorted to thief takers
- open to corruption - Jonathon Wild secretly led gang who claimed reward after handing in stolen goods
- set up foundation for future paid police
Changes in religion:
- unrest: henry viii broke from church
- < turmoil as country kept switching
- each side accused other of supporting devil
- < witch craft (henry made made punishable by death; elizabeth changed so it had to be tried in court, 1604 james enforced death penalty to those ‘summoning evil spirits’)
- trial by water: determine innocence
Explain why there have been changes in the crime of smuggling in the period c1700-present.
Economic conditions:
- 17/1800s high taxes & import duties on goods (tea, tobacco, alcohol)
- smuggling = lucrative so widespread smuggling networks
- taxes and import duties reduced, economic incentive decreased
- legal trade more profitable & less risky
Law enforcement improvements:
- 1700s law enforcement relatively weak (limited resources & corruption = easier to smuggle)
- 18/1900s organized police forces & improvements in law enforcement techniques = more difficult to smuggle
- surveillance technologies, radar, data analysis, specialised units e.g customs
Technology:
- 17/1800s smuggling relied on small boats & hidden compartments in ships.
- transportation & communication advanced = high-speed boats, submarines, drones, encrypted communication to evade detection
