section C punishments

• abolition of death penalty:

  -in 1908 the children's act ended hanging of children under 16

  -the 1922 infanticide act said mothers who killed newborn babies would no longer receive the death penalty

  -the 1957 homicide act limited the death sentence to 5 categories of murder

  -after the 1957 act there were an average of 4 executions per year, down from around 15

  -the 1965 murder act suspended the death penalty for murder for 5 years, but was made permanent in 1969

  -a few crimes including espionage, arson in the royal dockyards and piracy with violence still carried the death penalty but it wasn't used

  -the death penalty ended in 1998

  -in parliament opinions on the death penalty were strongly divided

  -the house of commons passed bills abolishing the death penalty in 1948 and 1956 but we're blocked by the house of Lords
• reasons for abolishing death penalty:

  -the home secretary Roy Jenkins oversaw the abolition

  -attitudes became more liberal in the 1960's

  -a series of controversial executions led to the public questioning things

  -Timothy Evans who was hanged for murdering his wife and baby in 1950, but later evidence showed he was innocent

  -Derek Bentley hung in 1953

  -in 1955 Ruth Ellis was hung for the murder of her abusive boyfriend even though she was pregnant and a mother of a young child

  -a petition with 50,000 signatures asking for her mercy was ignored by the home secretary
• changes to the prison system:

  -in 1896 broadmoor hospital opened for metally ill prisoners

  -in 1902 hard labour ended

  -in 1907 probation officers were employed

  -in 1922 the separate system ended and more educational opportunities for prisoners were introduced

  -in 1933 the first open prison in Wakefield was opened, they had a more relaxed regime and prisoners were allowed out in day release
• treatment of young offenders:

  -in 1900 borstals were introduced the first one being set up in Kent in 1902

  -in 1908 the prevention of crime act created a national system of borstals

  -borstals entirely for boys, designed to keep young convicts separate from older criminals

  -very structured day with an emphasis on physical exercise and learning skills

  -in 1982 the criminal justice act abolished borstal system and replaced then with young custody centres

  -the 1948 criminal justice act reduced the use of prisons for juveniles

  -the 1963 children and young persons act raised the age of criminal responsibility from 8 to 10

  -the 1969 children and young persons act favoured probation officers and care orders rather than prison sentences