Crime and Punishment Flashcards
What was Wergild?
A compensation paid to the victims of a crime or their families.
What time period did Wergild exist?
Anglo Saxon
What was the purpose of Wergild?
To avoid blood feuds
What was corporal punishment?
A range of punishments that caused harm or pain to the body - including being beaten.
Give examples of Corporal Punishment
Stocks And Pillory
What was the purpose of corporal punishment?
- To act as a deterrent
What change was made to Wergild fine by William I?
Fines were now paid to the King’s officials
Why did William I make changes to the Wergild fine?
To increased the centralisation of law enforcement and extend the control of the King.
In what time period was Hung Drawn and Quartering introduced as a punishment?
Late Medieval Period
What crime would result in the criminal being hung@drawn and quartered?
High Treason
Describe the punishment of Hung@ Drawn and Quartered
The criminal would be semi-strangled@ revived@ his abdomen cut open and intestines drawn out
Why did treason always see capital punishment throughout the medieval period?
The King was the most powerful person in the country@ betraying him would’ve been seen as the worst possible crime a person could commit therefore the only rightful punishment would be death.
Explain why Normans made changes to crime and punishments after the Norman Conquest
Establish Control - Forest Laws - Symbol of Dominance
What was the main purpose of prisons in the Early Modern Period?
It wasn’t necessarily a punishment in it’s own right; it was more like a holding cell.
State the punishments for vagabondage in the Early Modern Period
- Whipping
In what year was the vagrancy act put into place?
1547
Give an example of a purpose-built prison in the Early Modern Period
Bridewell prisons which were built specifically to hold the poor
Describe the Bloody Code
This was the increase in the amount of crimes that were punishable by the death penalty. This number has risen to 50 by 1688 and further to 160 by 1765.
Why did law makers introduce the bloody code?
- People were worried about the rate of crime
Where would prisoners have been transported to in the Early Modern Period?
North America
How many years could someone be transported as an alternative to execution?
14 years
What were the economic benefits of Transportation to America?
England wanted to establish permanent colonies in North America and convicts could be used to populate and provide manpower
How did Transportation to North America act as retribution?
Criminals were sent away to America deliberately to separate criminals and their families
Who introduced transportation?
James I
Why was there a decrease in the death penalty in the Industrial Period?
- Hanging was not seen as an effective deterrent
Why was there a decrease in public executions in the industrial period?
- People thought that those being put to death should have more dignity
Summarize the aims/goals of the Gunpowder plot
It aimed to set off an explosion to kill the King and those close to him at the state opening of the parliament. They wanted to replace James I with his daughter
Why did the gunpowder plot fail?
Lord Monteagle received a warning not to attend@ which he extended to Robert Cecil@ the King’s spymaster.
What was burning mainly used as a punishment for?
Heresy
What was the rack?
A wooden frame that would stretch the limbs@ forcing them apart at the joints
What was the punishment for the conspirators of the gunpowder plot?
Torture and Hung@ Drawn and Quartering
What were some consequences of the Gunpowder plot?
- Encouraged Anti-Catholic attitudes by the ‘Kingsbook’ with uncovered the plot
How did transportation change after 1783?
England lost colonies as a result of American Independance so could no longer transport prisoners there. They started transporting to Australia
Why did transportation to Australia end by 1868?
Australia was now an attractive place to go and they didn’t want criminals
Who were the 2 main prison reformers?
Elizabeth Fry
What did the Gaols act of 1823 state prisons should be like?
- Prisoners should receive regular visits from prison chaplains
When was Pentonville prison built?
1842
Describe the conditions of Pentonville Prison
- Walls were thick to present prisoners from communicating between cels
What were the strengths of Pentonville Prison?
Compared to previous prisons@ it was clean and there was far less disease
What were the weaknesses of Pentonville Prison?
The continuous isolation led to mental health issues and high rates of suicide
What reformer played a huge part in the 1823 Gaols act but was critiscised for being too lenient?
Elizabeth Fry
What reformer@ whilst Sheriff of Bedfordshire@ inspected prisons and was shocked by what they found?
John Howard
Describe Elizabeth Fry’s role in prison reforms
- She visited women in Newgate prison and was shocked to find 300 women and children crammed into 3 prisons
Describe John Howard’s role in prison reforms
In 1777@ they published a report: The State of Prisons in England and Wales after vising other prisons which highlighted problems with the old prison system@ especially the fees prisoners had to pay.
What year was solitary confinement ended?
1922
Why was solitary confinement ended?
It was gradually thought to be inhumane and did not encourage rehab
When was the first open prison opened and what did it allow prisoners to do?
The first open prison was opened in 1934 and allowed prisoners to leave during the day to work
What was abolished in 1902?
The hard labour and the crank in prisons
Why was the death penalty abolished in 1965?
- There was shift from retribution to rehabilitation
Explain how COs were treated in WW1
Some COs and their families were isolated by friends and neighbors
Why were attitudes towards COs more lenient in WW2?
They couldn’t be punished too harshly as the government would’ve been seen as hypocritical since they were criticizing Hitler’s treatment of his people
During WW1@ how many men were COs?
16@500
How were COs punished in WW1?
6000 COs were imprisoned. They were held in front of a tribunal who would decide their fate.
When did transportation and public execution end?
1868
In what year was the last use of the death penalty?
1964
Describe crimes against authority
Betraying your king/lord