c1000 - Present [ARCHIVED]

• Transportation to Australia


  Criminals worked for settlers for seven years providing free labour to build infrastructure. Most stayed in Australia once their sentence ended as they couldn't afford the fare home.
• Transportation ended by 1868 because Austraila no longer needed forced labourers, the discovery of gold made it an attractive place to go and it didn't want 'criminals", Some felt it was too expensive and not a strong enough deterrent to crime.
• Others felt it was too harsh for both the criminals and their families.
• Rapidly growing crime rates led the government to increase the Bloody Code throughout the 18th century. The number of capital crimes reached a peak of 222 in an attempt to deter crime. However, it was clear that these deterrents were not working and a new strategy was needed.
• Comiting the idea that punishment should be about retribution and deterrence, the 19th century saw increasing feelings that: punishments should be equal to the crime committed, corporal and capital punishments were inhumane except for very serious crimes, punishment should also be about rehabilitating the offender.
• The change in attitude to rehabiliation and reform also helped lead to the ending of public executions in 1868.
• Conditions in 18th century prisons were very poor but they were increasingly used as a form of punishment. Many thought prison conditions should be poor with hard labour, but several reformers believed prisons should be improved to increase the likelihood of rehabilitation.
• John Howard's work led to the 1774 Gaol Act, which suggested how health and sanitation in prisons could be improved. Elizabeth Fry began visiting women in Newgate Prison in 1813. She set up education classes to reform female prisoners. She also got them better food and clothes, and treated prisoners with kindness and respect.
• After the Civil War the number of prosecutions of witchcraft declined. All laws concerning witchcraft went repealed by the Witchcraft Act of 1736. People who claimed to use magic were subject to fines or imprisonment. However, although most people's attitudes and the attitude of the authorities had changed, some still clung to their superstitious beliefs.
• Economic and social changes led to more prosperity and political stability. Some still believed in witches and the Devil, but others (especially the educated) became less superstitious. The Royal Society, set up by Charles II, led to increased scientific experiments, which explained things previously thought to be the work of witches.
• In 1854, in Tolpaddle, Dorset, a group of tam workers formed a friendly society' (an early form of trade unions to protest about their low wages compared to other farm workers' wages). The land owners and the govemment feared they were losing control of their workers. The six men were arrested for taking secret oaths - an old law interded to stop Naval ruticies
• The Tolpuddle Martyrs were found guilty at their trial. They all received the same sertence of seven years transportation to Australia in an attempt to deter others from forming trade unions
• News of the Tolpaddle Martyrs' sentences spread quickly due to the press. There were rus protests and a petition of 200000 signatures was collected in opposition of their harsh purnishments.
• The Home Secretary decided to continue their sentence and the six were sert to Australia. Protests continued and in 1836 the martyrs were pardoned and returned home.
• The incident highlights how authorities used laws to criminalise people they viewed as a threat. It shows how the government would protect the interests of employers at the expense of workers. The pardoning of the martyrs ilustrates the impact of public opinion. The martyrs inspired some to fight for workers' rights but others were put off by how the martyrs were treated.
• Watchmen continued to patrol cities on foot at night and parish constables dealt with petty crime. Soldiers were used to put down riots and large protests across the country. There were some changes in London though as, from 1749, the Bow Street Runners tracked down criminals and stolen property. From 1754 the Bow Street Horse Patrols patrolled the streets.
• The Bow Street Runners were established in 1749 by the Fielding brithers to try and tackle the increasing amount of crime.

  • At first they were paid by rewards and fees but by 1785 were paid by the governemt.
  • They intrroduced new methods of finding evidence to bring criminals to justice
  • Branched out to patrol major roads on both foot and horse
  • Shared information on crimes and suspects with others
• The setting up of the Metropolitan Police Force (also known as the Met') was largely the work of Robert Peel.
• The 1856 Police Act set made professional police force, which were based on the model of the Metropolitan Police and made compulsary throughout the whole country. All forces were funded by the government and were regularly inspected by officials employed by the government. Police officers were not only tasked with keeping law and order, preventing crime through patrolling the streets and arresting criminals, but were to detect criminals after crimes had been committed. The aim of all activities was to deter crime.
• Throughout the 13th century Church courts were used to try people accused of moral crimes, such as sex outside marriage, and not following Church rites. Church courts also tried members of the clery for all crimes. This was known as benefit of clergy. People proved their right to benefit of clengy by reading a passage from the Bible-priests were some of the few members of society who could read. however some memorised the passage so they could recite it in court and claim benefit of clergy as Church courts gave less harsh punishments
• Sanctuary was protection from the law and was offered by some important churches. The priest would report the crime but no one was allowed to arrest the accused. The accused could either agree to go to court or swear an oath agreeing to leave the country. If the accused had not left the country within 40 days, they would be outlawed.
• Sanctuary and benefit of clergy were significant because they showed how the Church operated an alterative justice system outside the control of other authorities
• Trial by ordeal was first used in Anglo-Saxon times but was still being used at the start of the 13th century. In cases where a person's guilt or innocence could not be decided by a court, the Church used a trial by ordeal. Various methods were used but the outcome of all these trials was soon as God's judgement on the quilt or innocence of the accused. In 1215, the pope ordered his priests to stop administering these trials and they quickly ended.