3.5: case study - reforms of robert peel

• • peel was well informed & open to new ideas- fry spoke to parliament about conditions in prisons, peel agreed to many of her suggestions in his work
  • skilful at seeing bills
  • made the most of his senior positions to implement ideas
• | peel’s penal reforms in 1820

  • wanted to focus on preventing crimes & reforming criminals than punishments as a deterrent
  • passed Gaols Act, 1823:
  • prisoners receive regular visits from prison clergy
  • gaolers paid so they wouldn’t take money from prisoners
  • female prisoners watched by female wardens
  • prisoners not held in chains
  • LIMITATIONS: no paid inspectors to ensure laws were put into practice
• | metropolitan police formed, 1829

  • 1822, peel set up a parliamentary committee to look into the issue of policing
  • 1826, economic downturn & led to unemployment & poverty, which resulted in a crime wave & rioting, & army called to restore order.
  • peel thought it better to have centralised system for keeping peace that not rely on lethal weapons; system that ensure similar standards of policing were provided all across London_ wealthy London parishes had numbers of trained watchmen, while poor areas had very inadequate policing
  • 1st Metropolitan Police officers appointed in September 1829
• | metropolitan police officers

  • aim was to prevent crime & disorder & to be totally impartial & objective
  • carefully selected & well trained; full time & well paid
  • had uniform & didn’t look like soldiers
  • unarmed & trained to use minimum physical force
  • patrolled areas where crime was high; successfully reduced street crime & disorder
• | criticisms of the new police force

  • faced hostile attitude from public & press
  • cartoons portrayed them as poorly trained & immoral
  • fears of oppression
  • thought police would limit their liberties & would be a military style presence on the streets
  • increase costs imposed on tax payers for the new service
• | summary

  • peel held a number of ministerial roles & became home secretary in 1822
  • brought wide ranging changes to criminal law & prison reforms
  • had sympathy with reformers
  • wanted to use law more effectively & introduced a new penal code
  • 1829, introduced first professional police force which initially faced hostile attitude from the public & media