Punishments Flashcards
In what year was the use of capital punishment abolished for ALL murder crimes?
1965
How did the government and lawmakers lead to the abolition of the death penalty?
The governments decision to abolish the Bloody Code in the 1820s/30s meant that only murder and treason were punishable by death. In 1868 public hanging was ended and after 1840 there were around 15 executions a year. In 1957 the government abolished hanging for all murders except five. As a result executions in Britain fell to an average of only four per year
How did attitudes in society lead to the abolition of the death penalty?
Following the Second World War and the horrors of the holocaust there was a growing feeling that execution was un Christian and barbaric. Execution now seemed an action associated with hitlers Germany rather than Britain. In 1948, the UN issued the Declaration of Human rights, which stated how no one should be subject to the torture or inhuman punishment. First step in the abolition of the death penalty
How did the media lead to the abolition of the death penalty in the 20th century?
The least woman to be hanged was Ruth Ellis in 1956 and was found guilty of shooting her lover David Blakely in a crime of passion and he often beat Ellis and was an abusive relationship. There was no doubt of her guilt but there was a tremendous public sympathy for the glamorous Ellis whose photo appeared in many newspapers and spread her story. This publicised the miscarriages of justice in the people opinions and pushed for abolition
What is the difference between custodial and non custodial punishments?
Custodial: Being locked up
Non custodial: Alternative forms of punishment eg. Fines or electronic tagging
What year was solitary confinement ended?
1922
After 1922, how were prisons improved?
The convict crop was abolished, diet, heating and conditions in cells were gradually improving. More visits by friends and family allowed
Why were teachers employed in prisons?
Help inmates have a better chance at finding work after they were released
Open prisons were established in 1933, what were these?
Rules were more relaxed and prisoners allowed to leave during the day to work and the idea was to prepare inmates for ordinary life back in the community
Give an example of an open prison still in place today?
HM Prison Ford which had over 500 prisoners in 2023
A prison sentence shows the government is being harsh on crimes but there was a high rate of prisoners re offending. Why are non-custodial punishments more beneficial?
Younger prisoners can learn from older ones
Prison is hugely expensive to the government
Prison does not deal with the social or personal problem that caused them to commit the crime
How were attitudes towards young offenders changing in the 1900s?
In the Victorian times, children were treated the same as adults. However by the. 20th century the ideas were shifting away from harsh punishments to reform
The priority was to separate young offenders from hardened criminals. In 1902, Borstals were built. What were these?
Borstals were for young offenders under 18 and were run like strict boarding schools, with competitions and lots of character building sports.
What year were attendance centres made and what were they?
In 1948, attendance centres were established. These non custodial centres ran compulsory daily or weekly sessions for offenders aged 10-21.
What skills were covered in attendance centres?
Basic literacy and numeracy
Life skills like filling in job applications, money management and cooking
