Crime And Punishment Topic One - Causes Of Crime Flashcards
What are the main causes of crime during the mediaeval era
Famine
disease
high taxation
warfare 
Why did famine cause crime
Famine left a growing population without enough food which caused people to become desperate enough to commit crimes to survive
What is an example of a famine during the mediaeval era
The great famine of 1315 to 17 which killed 10% of England’s population
Why did disease cause crime
Disease left villages deserted which led to more hunger and poverty causing great opportunities for theft and robbery
Give an example of a disease during the mediaeval era
The black death of 1340
What rebellion did high taxation lead to
The peasants revolt in 1381
Why did warfare cause crime
Armies destroyed towns and farmlands and steal food from places they camped
What caused crimes in the early modern Britain 
- Changing economic conditions
- Religious change
What did changing economic conditions cause
A sharp rise in poverty
What did religious change cause
Some people to commit treason and heresy
What were the main causes of poverty
Bad harvests
changing farming methods
population rise
rising inflation
What years were especially poor harvests
1556 1596 1597
What did people start farming instead of crops
Sheep as they were more profitable
What did the population rise to from 1500 to 1600
From 2,900,000 to 4,300,000
What was the impact of religious change
Increased cases of treason
How did Henry the eighth respond to opposition from his break with Rome
By introducing treason laws
What did the treason laws state as treason
- Anyone writing or saying anything against the king or his family
- Supporting the Pope
- anyone who said that the King’s beliefs went against the church or the king used his power unjustly
What are the causes of crime During industrial Britain
Agricultural and industrial revolutions
What did industrial and agricultural revolution cause
The increased use of machinery and farms meaning there was less need for labourers
Why did the populations of towns rapidly grow
As a result of the labourers moving from the countryside into the towns
Why did people move into industrial towns
- The wage of an industrial work was higher than an agricultural one
- Poor people in the countryside were near starvation after bad harvests
- factories and mines required a large number of workers
- Industrial jobs could be given to the whole family
What did the population of London rise to from 1750 to 1851
From 675,000 to 2.3 million
Why did the growing population And urbanisation of towns and cities cause crime
They encourage crime as criminals like to live in narrow and crowded alleyways
What are the causes of crime during modern Britain
- The decline in religion caused the breakdown of the moral framework
- Low conviction rates associated with certain crimes
- Inner-city gang culture
- Ethnic and racial problems have caused hate related crime
