Punishment

Question 1

Mutilation

Answer 1

Cutting off limbs/ pulling out an eye/ castration/ branding.
Punishment for serious crimes eg rebellion, theft, vagabondage.

Question 2

Why did William increase the use of capital and corporal punishment? And give an example of a time he used it against someone.

Answer 2

To enforce his authority and deter other would-be criminals.
For example his treatment of Hereward the Wake and his supporters in 1071.

Question 3

Harrying of the North

Answer 3

1069 - 70
Destruction of Northumbria
Was a punishment for rebellion

Question 4

Hanged, drawn and quartered

Answer 4

1351
Punishment for High Treason - plotting to kill or betray the king
Intestines pulled out and body split into 4

Question 5

House of Correction

Answer 5

1556
Used to punish petty criminals and house poor children who were homeless or orphaned.
All inmates were made to do hard labour, which was believed would teach the value of hard work.

Question 6

What did the introduction of Houses of Correction demonstrate?

Answer 6

Changing attitudes towards the purpose of punishment - it was now believed that low-level criminals and vagabonds could be ‘saved’ and ‘reformed’.

Question 7

Bloody Code

Answer 7

1688 - number of crimes punishable by death increased to 50, including crimes like: poaching, stealing a loaf of bread, or cutting down a tree.

Question 8

Why was the Bloody Code introduced?

Answer 8

The MPs who passed it were all wealthy landowners who wanted to protect their land and privileges. The aim was to create a strong deterrent so that crime rates would be reduced, however it was ineffective because many crimes were crimes of desperation.

Question 9

Transportation to America

Answer 9

Introduced during the reign of James 1
People who were transported served either 14 or 7 years, and were not given money for passage home, so most would end up staying

Question 10

Why was transportation to America introduced?

Answer 10

• it reflected the changing ideas about the aims of punishment: deterrent but also a chance for rehabilitation
• provided an alternative to execution for petty crimes, which many people felt was too harsh
• it was a suitable alternative for the death penalty as England did not yet have an effecting prison system, so prison was not yet a feasible alternative
• England wanted to establish permanent colonies in North America - convicts could be used to populate and provide manpower

Question 11

Corporal punishment

Answer 11

Punishments like whipping and branding were still used for retribution and deterrence. These were for crimes such as theft (continuity), vagrancy and begging (change).

Question 12

Stocks and pillory

Answer 12

Used to shame petty criminals and act as a deterrent. Used to punish crimes like: begging, drunkenness, cheating at cards, persistent swearing, and selling underweight bread.

Question 13

Fines

Question 14

End of public executions - four reasons

Answer 14

1 - people thought that people should have more dignity in their final moment
2 - the crowds were often drunk, which could lead to riots if it was for petty or social crimes
3 - they had become a fun spectacle rather than a solemn occasion and deterrent
4 - the large crowds provided the chance for other crimes, e.g. pickpocketing and prostitution
Public executions were ended in 1868

Question 15

End of the Bloody Code

Answer 15

It was removed by the reforms of Sir Robert Peel who was Home Secretary in the 1820s. The death penalty was used less and less and by 1840, only two crimes were punishable by death: murder and treason.

Question 16

Reasons for the end of the Bloody Code (5)

Answer 16

Changing attitudes - hanging no longer seen as an efficient deterrent because serious crime had not fallen
Juries reluctant to sentence people to death
Death penalty seen as inhumane
Many people thought criminals should have the chance to reform
There were now alternative punishments available that could be used instead

Question 17

Transportation to Australia

Answer 17

After American Independence in 1776, prisoners could no longer be sent to America, and so were sent to Australia which had been claimed as part of the British Empire in 1770.
It was a serious punishment as it took 18 months to get there and prisoners had to serve 7 years so was seen as an effective deterrent.

Question 18

Advantages of transportation

Answer 18

Provided a punishment less harsh than death, reduced crime in Britain by removing the criminals from society, helped British government populate the British colonies in Australia.

Question 19

The end of transportation to Australia (4 points)

Answer 19

1868
Campaigners argued conditions on the ships were inhumane
Some that living conditions in Australia (especially after the discovery of gold there) meant that transportation was too lenient
The cost of running prison colonies in Australia was too high
More prisons had been built in England as attitudes towards punishment continued to change - suitable alternative

Question 20

Gaols Act (1774)

Answer 20

John Howard - campaigned for decent food and water, useful work, Christian teachings, and IMPORTANT a wage for gaolers so they wouldn’t exploit the prisoners. GAOLS ACT 1774 LED TO AN IMPROVEMENT IN THE LIVING STANDARDS IN PRISONS

Question 21

Gaols Act (1823)

Answer 21

Elizabeth Fry - visited Newgate Prison and was shocked by women and children living alongside dangerous criminals in terrible conditions. She wrote letters and campaigned + had a big influence on the Gaols Act (1823) which SEPARATED PRISONERS INTO CATAGORIES.

Question 22

Pentonville Prison and the ‘separate system’

Answer 22

1842 - prisoners in cells alone 23 hours a day to give them a chance to reflect on their crimes. Prisons now seen as a viable punishment for serious and minor crimes - long sentences + hard labour = deterrent, solitary confinement = chance for prisoners to reform and be rehabilitated.
Many prisons built on the Pentonville model.

Question 23

Problems with the separate system

Answer 23

Led to serious mental illnesses and high suicide rates. No education or instruction to provide new skills and no real focus on helping prisoners rehabilitate.

Question 24

Prisons Act

Answer 24

1865 - ‘hard labour, hard fare, hard board’ - up to 12 hours of hard physical labour, a bland and boring diet, and a wooden board to sleep on.

Question 25

Borstals/ Youth Custody Centres

Answer 25

1902 - special prisons for boys were set up to keep them separate from older prisoners.
1982 - replaced with Youth Custody Centres
Introduced because re offending rates for young people were very high - they were learning from older prisoners, and developing drug addictions while in prison.

Question 26

Children and Young People’s Acts (1963 and 1969)

Answer 26

Focused more on supervision by probation officers and social workers, rather than prison sentences.

Question 27

Open prisons

Answer 27

Introduced in 1933. Inmates left during the day to work and then came back at night.

Question 28

Non - custodial sentences

Answer 28

Probation - report once a week to the police + regularly meet with probation officer. So long as didn’t re offend, no further punishment
Parole - early release if behaved well in prison and showed genuine remorse for crime
Suspended sentences - if didn’t re offend during ‘suspended sentence’ they wouldn’t be imprisoned
Community service - minor offenders would complete unpaid work in the community rather than being sent to prison
Electric tagging - offenders would wear an electronic tag which tracked their location

Question 29

Abolition of the death penalty - Derek Bentley

Answer 29

1952, Derek Bentley sentenced to death for the murder of a policeman during a robbery. His sentence was deemed too harsh by 200 MPs and 5,000 protestors.

Question 30

Abolition of the death penalty - Timothy Evans

Answer 30

1950, Timothy Evans was sentenced to death for the murder of his baby and wife, but after his execution it was discovered that he was innocent.

Question 31

Abolition of the death penalty - Ruth Ellis

Answer 31

1955, Ruth Ellis hanged for murder of her boyfriend. Many people thought it was too harsh because he was abusive and violent so it was self defence.