Topic 6 Attitudes To Crime And Punishment Flashcards
What were the 3 purposes of punishment in the medieval era?
Deterrence
Retribution- ‘an eye for an eye’
Keep order
What were 2 shifts in attitudes to punishments in the early modern era?
More public punishment- increase crime rates
Element of humiliation
What was the shift away from brutal punishments in the 18th century to?
Idea that punishment should fit seriousness of crime and aim to help criminals build better lives
What was a major change in attitudes to punishment in the 18th century?
Transportation, banished criminals from country and alternative to death penalty
What were the 3 sentences you could receive in transportation?
7 years, 14 years, life
What were 5 reasons transportation was introduced?
Judges would let offenders off death penalty for theft
Prisons= expensive
Workers needed on farms/plantations of colonies
Reform criminals
Dangerous/undesirable people removed from country
What were 4 reasons the use of prisons increased in the 19th century?
End of transportation
Sir Robert Peel abolished death penalty for half of capital crimes in 1823
People thought punishment should be carried out in prisons
Belief most criminals could be reformed
When was public execution ended?
1868
What did the Gaols Act 1823 do?
Improved security and sanitation
In the industrial era, why did the government decide to return to deterrence using harsh methods?
Separate and silent systems failed to lower reoffending rate
What was the 1865 Penal Servitude Act?
All prisoners should experience hard labour, hard fare (bread and water) and hard board (sleep on narrow hard beds)
What 2 contrasting views of punishment did the 20th century witness a debate between?
Retribution- hard labour, solitary cells, no visitors
Rehabilitation- attitudes and behaviour changed through counselling, education and training
How were young offenders dealt with from the 1850s?
Reform Schools for 10-15 yr olds, replaced by community homes in 1970s
How were young offenders dealt with from 1908?
Borstals, 15-21 yr olds, focus on routine, discipline and respecting authority
When were Borstals abolished?
1982
What were Borstals replaced by?
Youth Detention Centres or later young offender institutions
Describe Youth Detention Centres (2 things)
much stricter, almost military discipline, did not work- youth re-offending increased to 75%
What were 2 new types of youth punishments introduced in the 21st century?
ASBOs (anti social behaviour orders)
E-tagging
What was the aim of the system of dealing with young offenders?
Punish by removing liberty but encourage self-respect and discipline to prepare for employment on release
When was flogging of prisoners abolished?
1948
Which 3 cases heightened the call for the death penalty to be abolished?
Timothy Evans 1950
Derek Bentley 1953
Ruth Ellis 1955
What was the case of Timothy Evan’s 1950?
convicted of the murder of his baby daughter and executed, pardoned in 1960 after evidence showed murderer was likely serial killer who lived in same house
What was the case of Ruth Ellis 1955?
suffered years of domestic abuse from her partner, found guilty of killing him with multiple gunshots, large public demonstration outside prison night before she was executed
When was the Abolition of the Death Penalty Act?
1969
When did the last hanging in the UK take place?
1964
What are 2 modern attitudes towards punishment?
Rehabilitation
Restitution- community service
