Attitudes to death penalty

• By 1688 the number of crimes that carried the death penalty had increased to 50; by 1765 it was 160; by 1810, it was 222 (remember this was called the ‘Bloody Code’).
• However, attitudes were starting to change. Hanging was no longer seen as an effective deterrent; rehabilitation became a more popular approach; and more alternative punishments were available.
• The death penalty began to be used less; 1814 saw the last execution for cutting down an orchard, and 1822 the last hanging for shoplifting.
• The 1823 Judgement of Death Act gave judges the power to reduce the death penalty to transportation.
• The 1832 Punishment of Death Act reduced the number of capital crimes to 60.