crime and punishment

Question 1

What was the ‘tithing’ system in Anglo-Saxon England?

Answer 1

A group of 10 men responsible for each other’s behavior; if one broke the law, the others had to bring him to court.

Question 2

What was the ‘hue and cry’?

Answer 2

A communal system where if someone witnessed a crime, they would shout to alert others, who were then obliged to help catch the criminal.

Question 3

What were ‘trial by ordeal’ methods?

Answer 3

Religious trials to determine guilt, including ordeal by hot water, hot iron, and consecrated bread (for clergy).

Question 4

What was the ‘murdrum fine’ introduced by the Normans?

Answer 4

A fine imposed on a community if a Norman was murdered and the culprit wasn’t found, to deter attacks on Normans.

Question 5

What changes did Henry II introduce to the legal system?

Answer 5

Established royal courts, standardized punishments, and introduced ‘common law’ across England.

Question 6

What was the role of the Church in crime and punishment?

Answer 6

The Church had its own courts, offered ‘benefit of clergy’ (trial in Church courts), and could offer sanctuary to criminals.

Question 7

What were ‘Heresy’ and ‘Treason’ during this period?

Answer 7

Heresy was holding religious beliefs against the official Church; Treason was plotting against the monarch. Both were capital crimes.

Question 8

What were ‘vagrancy’ laws?

Answer 8

Laws targeting the unemployed and homeless, often punishing them with whipping or forced labor.

Question 9

What was the ‘Bloody Code’?

Answer 9

A term for the period when over 200 crimes, including minor ones like theft, were punishable by death.

Question 10

What were ‘transportation’ sentences?

Answer 10

Criminals were sent to colonies like Australia to serve their sentences, often for 7 or 14 years.

Question 11

What changes did Robert Peel introduce?

Answer 11

Founded the Metropolitan Police in 1829, emphasizing crime prevention over punishment.

Question 12

What was the significance of the 1856 Police Act?

Answer 12

Made it mandatory for all areas to have a professional police force.

Question 13

What were the key developments in policing?

Answer 13

Introduction of fingerprinting (1901), DNA profiling (1980s), and the use of CCTV and digital databases.

Question 14

What changes occurred in punishments?

Answer 14

Abolition of the death penalty (1965), focus on rehabilitation, and introduction of community service and electronic tagging.

Question 15

What are ‘hate crimes’?

Answer 15

Crimes motivated by prejudice against someone’s race, religion, sexual orientation, or other characteristics.

Question 16

What were ‘rookeries’?

Answer 16

Overcrowded slum areas with poor sanitation and high crime rates.

Question 17

What was the Peabody Estate?

Answer 17

A model housing project opened in 1881 to provide better living conditions for the poor.

Question 18

What was the H Division?

Answer 18

The Metropolitan Police division responsible for policing Whitechapel.

Question 19

What challenges did the police face in whitechapel?

Answer 19

High crime rates, gang violence, prostitution, alcohol abuse, and lack of public cooperation.

Question 20

Who was Charles Warren?

Answer 20

Metropolitan Police Commissioner during the Jack the Ripper murders; faced criticism for his handling of the case.

Question 21

Who were the victims of Jack the Ripper?

Answer 21

Mary Ann Nichols, Annie Chapman, Elizabeth Stride, Catherine Eddowes, and Mary Jane Kelly.

Question 22

What methods did the police use in the jack the ripper investigation?

Answer 22

House-to-house inquiries, distributing leaflets, interviewing over 2,000 people, and following up on letters claiming to be from the Ripper.

Question 23

What was the impact of the media in the jack the ripper cases?

Answer 23

Sensationalist reporting increased public fear and pressure on the police, but also led to misinformation and hoaxes.

Question 24

What was the aim of the Gunpowder Plot?

Answer 24

To blow up the Houses of Parliament and assassinate King James I to restore Catholic rule in England.

Question 25

Who led the Gunpowder Plot?

Answer 25

Robert Catesby, with key conspirators including Guy Fawkes.

Question 26

What was the government’s reaction to gunpowder plot?

Answer 26

Brutal torture of Fawkes; all plotters executed. Harsh anti-Catholic laws followed (e.g., Catholics banned from voting, owning land).

Question 27

Why was the Gunpowder Plot significant?

Answer 27

Used by the government to justify stricter control and repression of Catholics for decades.

Question 28

Who were the Tolpuddle Martyrs?

Answer 28

Six agricultural workers from Dorset who formed a friendly society (early trade union) and were arrested.

Question 29

What law were the tolpuddle martyrs charged under?

Answer 29

An old naval law banning secret oaths.

Question 30

What happened to the tolpuddle martyrs?

Answer 30

Transported to Australia for 7 years. Huge public protest (250,000 signed petition). Pardoned in 1836.

Question 31

Why was the tolpuddle case significant?

Answer 31

Demonstrated government fear of workers organising. Sparked growth of the trade union movement.

Question 32

What system did Pentonville use?

Answer 32

The separate system – prisoners kept alone to reflect on crimes and avoid corrupting others.

Question 33

What were conditions like in pentonville prison?

Answer 33

Clean and orderly, with individual cells, good food and ventilation — but mentally damaging.

Question 34

Why was Pentonville significant?

Answer 34

Model for future prisons; sparked national debate on punishment vs. rehabilitation.

Question 35

What were criticisms of the pentonville system?

Answer 35

Caused mental illness, high suicide rates, and was expensive.

Question 36

What is a conscientious objector?

Answer 36

Someone who refuses to fight in war due to moral, political, or religious beliefs.

Question 37

How were conscienscious objectors treated in WWI?

Answer 37

Many imprisoned, harsh treatment, ‘white feather’ campaigns shamed them. Some faced execution threats.

Question 38

How did conscientous objectors treatment change in WWII?

Answer 38

More tribunals offered alternative service (e.g., ambulance work, farming). Still social stigma but less punishment.

Question 39

Why is this change in conscientious objectors significant?

Answer 39

Shows changing attitudes to individual rights, freedom of belief, and justice.

Question 40

What crime was Bentley involved in?

Answer 40

Accused of murdering a police officer during a robbery with 16-year-old Christopher Craig.

Question 41

What was controversial about the derek bentley case?

Answer 41

Bentley had learning difficulties, did not fire the gun, and the phrase “Let him have it” was ambiguous.

Question 42

What was the outcome of the derek bentley case?

Answer 42

Bentley was hanged, sparking public outrage.

Question 43

Why is this case of derek bentley significant?

Answer 43

Contributed to the abolition of the death penalty in 1965. Bentley was posthumously pardoned in 1993.

Question 44

What immigrant groups lived in Whitechapel in the 1880s?

Answer 44

Irish labourers and Jewish refugees fleeing pogroms in Eastern Europe.

Question 45

How did immigration in whitechapel contribute to tension?

Answer 45

Increased competition for housing and jobs; anti-Semitism; Jewish communities seen as 'different' due to language and customs.

Question 46

How did immigration affect policing?

Answer 46

Distrust of authorities and language barriers made it harder to gain cooperation in investigations.

Question 47

Why is immigration in whitechapel relevant to the Ripper case?

Answer 47

Police struggled to navigate community divisions, and the media often blamed Jewish immigrants, increasing hostility.

Question 48

How did the Church influence crime and punishment in medieval England?

Answer 48

The Church played a central role by: Operating its own courts for clergy and moral offences. Offering sanctuary to criminals seeking refuge. Utilizing trial by ordeal to determine guilt, believing divine intervention would reveal the truth. Implementing benefit of clergy, allowing clergy members to be tried in more lenient Church courts.

Question 49

What was trial by ordeal, and why was it abolished?

Answer 49

Trial by ordeal was a method where the accused underwent dangerous or painful tests (e.g., carrying hot iron) to determine innocence or guilt, believed to be judged by God. It was abolished in 1215 after the Pope declared the Church would no longer support such trials, leading to the development of jury trials.

Question 50

What was the Gunpowder Plot, and what were its consequences?

Answer 50

A failed attempt by Catholic conspirators, including Guy Fawkes, to blow up the Houses of Parliament and assassinate King James I to restore Catholic rule. The plot's failure led to harsher laws against Catholics and reinforced Protestant dominance.

Question 51

What caused the witch hunts in England between 1645 and 1647?

Answer 51

Factors included: Religious turmoil and Puritan beliefs. Social and economic instability. Influence of individuals like Matthew Hopkins, the "Witchfinder General," who exploited fears for personal gain

Question 52

Who were the Tolpuddle Martyrs, and why are they significant?

Answer 52

Six agricultural laborers from Tolpuddle, Dorset, who formed a friendly society (early trade union) to protest wage cuts. They were arrested and transported to Australia, sparking public outcry and becoming symbols for the labor movement.

Question 53

What was the purpose of Pentonville Prison, and what system did it implement?

Answer 53

Built in 1842 to embody the "separate system," aiming to reform prisoners through isolation, reflection, and religious instruction. While intended to rehabilitate, it often led to mental health issues due to solitary confinement.

Question 54

What were Robert Peel's contributions to law enforcement?

Answer 54

As Home Secretary, Peel established the Metropolitan Police in 1829, introducing a professional, organized police force in London. He also reformed the penal code, reducing the number of capital crimes and emphasizing rehabilitation

Question 55

Why is the Derek Bentley case significant in British legal history?

Answer 55

Bentley, a mentally impaired teenager, was hanged for the murder of a police officer, despite not firing the fatal shot. His controversial execution contributed to the growing movement against capital punishment, leading to its abolition for murder in 1965

Question 56

How were conscientious objectors treated during the World Wars?

Answer 56

Individuals who refused military service on moral or religious grounds faced tribunals. Some were assigned non-combatant roles, while others were imprisoned or stigmatized, reflecting societal tensions between individual conscience and national duty.

Question 57

What challenges did police face during the Jack the Ripper investigations?

Answer 57

The Metropolitan Police struggled with: Limited forensic techniques. Overcrowded and maze-like streets. Public distrust and sensationalist media. Lack of coordination between different police forces.

Question 58

Why is the Stephen Lawrence case significant in the history of crime and punishment in Britain?

Answer 58

Stephen Lawrence was an 18-year-old Black teenager murdered in a racially motivated attack in London in 1993. The police investigation was deeply flawed, leading to public outrage and a formal inquiry. Key Points: The Macpherson Report (1999), commissioned after the failed investigation, concluded the Metropolitan Police was institutionally racist. It led to major reforms in British policing: Greater focus on racial equality in the police. Improved handling of hate crimes. Double jeopardy laws were changed, allowing a retrial if new evidence emerges — two of Lawrence’s killers were finally convicted in 2012.

Question 59

what was the significane of the stephen lawrence

Answer 59

A turning point in public awareness of racism within law enforcement. Sparked national debate and legal reforms around race, justice, and police accountability.

Question 60

How has policing changed since 1900?

Answer 60

Creation of specialist police units: e.g. CID, anti-terrorism, cybercrime, drug squads. Use of modern technology: radios, CCTV, fingerprinting, DNA profiling (from 1984). Introduction of Community Support Officers (CSOs) (2002) and neighbourhood policing teams. Increased diversity and professional standard

Question 61

What is neighbourhood policing and why is it important?

Answer 61

Launched in the 2000s, this strategy focuses on building trust between police and communities through local patrols, community engagement, and problem-solving policing. It aims to reduce crime through cooperation and visibility.

Question 62

How has science changed criminal investigations since 1900?

Answer 62

Fingerprinting introduced 1901. DNA profiling (1984, Alec Jeffreys) revolutionized evidence gathering. CCTV, computer databases (e.g. National DNA Database, 1995) improve surveillance and identification.

Question 63

When and why was the death penalty abolished in the UK?

Answer 63

Suspended in 1965, abolished fully in 1969 (for murder). Key cases: Derek Bentley (1953) and Timothy Evans highlighted miscarriages of justice. Growing public and political pressure due to ethical concerns.

Question 64

Why was the Stephen Lawrence case significant?

Answer 64

18-year-old murdered in a racist attack; police failed to investigate properly. Macpherson Report (1999) found institutional racism in the Met Police. Led to: Reform in police training Race Relations Amendment Act (2000) Repeal of double jeopardy law (convictions in 2012)

Question 65

How has terrorism affected crime and punishment since 1900?

Answer 65

Rise in political and religious terrorism (e.g. IRA, 7/7 bombings in 2005). Laws such as: Terrorism Act 2000: longer detention without charge. Counter-Terrorism and Security Act 2015: increased surveillance powers. Controversy over balancing civil liberties and security.

Question 66

What are hate crimes and how has society responded?

Answer 66

Crimes motivated by race, religion, sexuality, gender, or disability. Hate Crime laws strengthened in 2000s; tougher sentencing. Police now record and actively investigate hate crimes.

Question 67

How has youth crime been dealt with in modern Britain?

Answer 67

Juvenile courts introduced 1908. Borstals replaced by youth detention centres. Emphasis now on rehabilitation, not punishment, with Youth Offending Teams (YOTs) and community-based solutions.

Question 68

How has the public contributed to law enforcement since 1900?

Answer 68

Neighbourhood Watch (launched 1982): community involvement in crime prevention. Use of crimestoppers hotlines, dashcams, and citizen evidence in investigations.

Question 69

What punishments are used in modern Britain?

Answer 69

Community service, ASBOs, electronic tagging. Prison still used but controversial for non-violent offences. Focus on rehabilitation, especially for youth and first-time offenders.