What year was witchcraft decriminalised?
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What year was witchcraft decriminalised?
Witchcraft was decriminalised in 1735 under the Witchcraft Act.
What act made poaching a capital offence in 1723?
The act that made poaching a capital offence was the Waltham Black Act.
Define laissez-faire in crime and punishment.
Laissez-faire is French for ‘allow to do.' This attitude meant that the government did not play a big role in protecting people from crime because they did not want to interfere with people's lives.
Did industrialisation in the 18th and 19th centuries increase or decrease crime rates?
Increased.
Trains meant that criminals could move around more easily and avoid capture. Factory work led to rising unemployment and low wages. Many people committed survival crimes.
How did scientific advancements affect accusations of witchcraft?
Scientific experiments explained things that were previously thought to be the work of witches. Accusations of witchcraft fell.
Define a highway robbery.
A highway robbery is the crime of stopping a coach and stealing from the passengers.
True or False?
The government did nothing to stopped the increase of highway robberies.
False.
The government saw highwaymen as a major disruption to trade. Authorities started to make more efforts to reduce highway robbery.
Who was Dick Turpin?
Dick Turpin was a famous highwayman. He was executed in 1739 after being found guilty of horse theft. Penny Dreadfuls started to celebrate Dick Turpin as a hero in the 19th century.
Define duties on goods.
Duties are taxes on imported goods. High duties made it more people smuggle goods into Britain.
True or False?
The government hung the leaders of the Hawkhurst Gang for smuggling.
True.
The Hawkhurst Gang smuggled goods along the south coast and seized back their confiscated goods. The leaders were hung in 1748.
When did smuggling decrease in England?
Smuggling decreased in the 1840s. This is because the government significantly lowered taxes on imported goods.
Who were the Waltham Blacks?
The Waltham Blacks were a group of men who carried out poaching raids. Their actions, including hunting the Bishop of Winchester’s deer, triggered the Waltham Black Act against poaching.
Define a trade union.
A trade union is an organisation that represents the people who work in a particular industry to protect their rights.
True or False?
The Tolpuddle Martyrs were hung for their attempt to form a trade union.
False.
The Tolpuddle Martyrs were transported to Australia. After negative public backlash, the government eventually pardoned the martyrs.
Did the role of watchmen change or stay the same from the Early Modern period to the 18th and 19th centuries?
Stayed the same.
Watchmen still patrolled cities on foot at night. They also kept an eye on private property.
Who were the Fielding brothers?
The Fielding brothers were magistrates. They were among the first to bring an organised policing system to London.
True or False?
The Bow Street Runners were criminals in London in the 18th and 19th centuries.
False.
The Bow Street Runners tracked down criminals and stolen property. They found evidence to bring criminals to justice. The government eventually paid them directly for their work.
Define compulsory.
Compulsory is something that is required by law.
What were the government's responsibilities under the 1856 Police Act?
The government was responsible for funding all the police forces and employing officials to regularly inspect all forces.
Define the CID in law enforcement.
The CID stands for the Criminal Investigation Department. The CID is a detective unit introduced by the Metropolitan Police to investigate and solve crime in 1878.
What year did the Metropolitan Police face a corruption scandal?
The Metropolitan Police faced a corruption scandal in 1877.
What year was the Gaols Act introduced?
The Gaols Act was introduced in 1774.
In 1823, what act gave judges the right to pass lesser sentences for capital offences?
The act that gave judges the right to pass lesser sentences for capital offences was the Judgement of Death Act.
Define pickpocketing.
Pickpocketing is the action of stealing from a person’s pockets.
True or False?
People's opinions in the 18th and 19th centuries towards punishment changed from retribution to rehabilitation.
True.
More and more people began to believe that punishment should aim to reform criminals. People began to think that corporal and capital punishments did not allow criminals to reflect on their crimes.
Define rehabilitation.
Rehabilitation is the act of restoring a criminal to normal life.
Did transportation to Australia as punishment affect more women or more men?
More men.
Only one in six were women. Most people transported to Australia were thieves (especially reoffenders). A small number were political protesters.
When did transportation to Australia begin to decline as a method of punishment?
Transportation to Australia began to decline in the 1840s.
Name the two key prison reformers in the 18th and 19th centuries.
The two key prison reformers in the 18th and 19th centuries were John Howard and Elizabeth Fry.
True or False?
John Howard wanted prisoners to be separated from each other.
True.
Howards suggested that hardened criminals be separated from first-time offenders, women and children.
What religion did Elizabeth Fry follow?
Elizabeth Fry followed the Quaker religion. A Quaker is a member of an evangelical Christian movement, originating in England in the 17th century.
When was Pentonville Prison built?
Pentonville Prison was built in 1842.
What was the main aim of Pentonville Prison?
The main aim of Pentonville Prison was to reform prisoners. Many people also saw it as a place of deterrence and retribution.
Define solitude.
Solitude is the state of being alone. Pentonville’s prisoners spent as many as 23 hours a day alone.
True or False?
Pentonville Prison was designed to keep prisoners together in one area.
False.
Every part of Pentonville Prison was designed to isolate prisoners. Many people thought that solitude would give prisoners a chance to reflect on their crimes and turn to religion.
Define the separate system in prisons.
The separate system was a form of prison management that kept prisoners in solitude. In Pentonville Prison, prisoners spent as many as 23 hours a day alone.
Name three strengths of Pentonville Prison.
The three strengths of Pentonville Prison were:
Less physical illness
The right level of punishment
No chance of prisoner corruption
Did the continuous isolation in Pentonville Prisons cause more or less incidents of mental illness?
More.
In the first eight years at Pentonville Prison, 22 prisoners were deemed insane, 26 had a nervous breakdown and three people committed suicide.
True or False?
Pentonville Prison is an example of the loud system for prisons.
False.
Pentonville Prison is an example of the silent system. The silent system is a form of prison management that forbids prisoners from speaking.
When was Robert Peel's first term as Prime Minister?
Robert Peel's first term as Prime Minister was from 1834 to 1835.
Who was Robert Peel?
Robert Peel was a 19th-century politician. He was initially the home secretary (for two separate terms). He later became prime minister (also for two separate terms).
Define the penal code.
The penal code is a country’s official system of punishment.
Did Robert Peel increase or decrease the number of capital offences?
Decrease.
Peel reduced the number of capital offences by 100. He wanted criminals to be punished proportionately and reformed so they would not reoffend.
Define gaols.
Gaols were the old-fashioned word for prisons.
Name the three limitations of the 1823 Gaols Act.
The three limitations of the 1823 Gaols Act are:
There were no inspectors to enforce it
It only applied to 130 of the biggest prisons
Small prisons ignored it altogether
True or False?
Peel wanted to introduce an ethical police force.
True.
Peel had a vision for a high-standard, impartial police force in London. He wanted officers to have a positive relationship with the public and to only use physical force as a last resort.
Did people in the 19th century oppose the idea of a police force?
Yes.
People worried that a state police force would create a police state. Many citizens also did not want to pay even more taxes to fund the police.
When did Peel pass the Metropolitan Police Act?
The Metropolitan Police Act was passed in 1829.
Did the Metropolitan Police contribute to an increase or a decrease in crime rates from 1850 to 1900?
Decrease.
The Metropolitan Police patrolled areas with high crime. This contributed to steadily falling crime rates between 1850 and 1900.