INDUSTRIAL BRITAIN

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  • Created by: mivigor
  • Created on: 31-05-17 15:44

Industrialisation

-People moved from rural areas in the countryside to big cities such as London and Manchester

-They thought they had more opportunities in the cities and could make their fortunes

-The mass increase in people meant there was:- overcrowding, -disease, -poverty, =Hotbed for crime

-The cities meant there was anonimity because they ciities were too big for everyone to know everyone.

-This meant previous ways of dealing with crime (constable, watchmen, hue and cry) couldn't work

-streets were tightly packed together to accomadate all the people= easier to escape froma crime scene

-People were so poor they grew desperate and would have to steal to live no matter the consequences. 

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The Bloody Code

-1688, 50 crimes punishable by death -1776 that number quadrupled - 1800 there was 220 crimes punishable by death 

-The bloody code came to an end because crime rates were increasing 

  • prisons came about with the attitude to reform not persecute 
  • There was an increase in poverty (desperation) people had to steal to survive and juries felt guilty sentencing the poor because its not there fault

One reason-- people were desensitised by the death penalty

  • it became a form of entertainment (they had dull lives- it was the only excitement) they brought their children, dressed up, had music and sold items.
  • Executions were romanticised- famous criminals (Jack Shepherd at Tyburn) gained publics support they would sometimes try and save them, visit them in prison, throuw flowers and write then notes.

Instead of the death penalty Juries were more likely to sentence transportation

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Transportation

--First, transported criminals to American (one of the colonies of the British Empire)

--This stopped because AMERICAbecame indepent people wanted to move there

--Then transported even further around the world to AUSTRALIA

--Had to travel for months by boat 10% died before they even got there.

--It was uninhabitable at first, people feared it because they didn't know what it was because it was so far away

--They had labourous jobs when there:-building roads, buiding, towns 

--This ENDED because gold was discovered

  • people would pay to go and start a new life
  • people wanted to commit crimes to get there for free
  • It was a more promising life then in britain.
  • Prisons came about and tried to reform criminals instead of punish
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The state of 18th century prisons

--Had to hygiene (disease ridden)

--Overcrowded

  • They were privately owned 
  • The government paid the renter moeny per criminal- landowner wouldn't care how many would be in one prison because the more criminals more money

--Gaolers

  • Wealthy bribed the gaolers with money to bring them luxuries in prison}they could run their criminal empires from within the prison 
  • Every inmate had to pay the gaolers fee before they left, even if they were just awaiting trial
  • prisoners would stay in for life times and their family too because 60% of inmates were debters so couldn't pay the fee as well as the moeny they already owed because they werne't working 
  • They and their families were stuck in a cycle of poverty with no chance of escaping because their would be no income the familes were placed in prison too because there was no money.
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Changes in attitudes towards criminals

--Wanted to reform criminals instead or kill

--Recognised that the mass poverty in cities = desperation and theft

--1777 John Howard wrote a book showing corruption in prisons

--Peel prison reform: -Teachers~education (visits)

-Magistrates~(visits)

-Gaolers to be paid

-Must attempt to reform

-Doctors~Health care

-Preist~(visits)

-Government owned to follow rules

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Prison reforms

Separate

  • pentonville~can't see any other criminal 
  • expensive
  • leads to suicidal

Silent

  • Allowed to see others but not talk                     Pointless
  • Expensive                                               -Harsher punishment 
  • Jailers                                                     -Picking apart ship rope~wouldn't want to go back

Useful

  • reform~give skills
  • too leniant
  • too much like a reward~seen unfair to a lawabiding citizen
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Bow street Runners

-Henry and John Fielding (magistrate)

-Lived on bow street where the crime rate was high 

-Runners had pistol and handcuff patroling street

-constables:-salary -only job -work longer than a year 

-crime rate fell dramatically 

-News paper hue and cry published stories

-1750

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Bow street Runners

-Henry and John Fielding (magistrate)

-Lived on bow street where the crime rate was high 

-Runners had pistol and handcuff patroling street

-constables:-salary -only job -work longer than a year 

-crime rate fell dramatically 

-News paper hue and cry published stories

-1750

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Introduction of metropolitan police

ATTITUDES 1829

  • Police thought as spies (French revolution~government used police as spies)
  • Were not trusted~ Attack on Englishmen's liberty 

WHY INTRODUCED?

  • crime rat erise 
  • Napoleonic Tax:collected after 15 years 
  • had to replace old system because of the CITIES
  • because of industrialisation and urbanisation

REPUTATION

  • Called blue devils,peels bloody gang =unpopular
  • overtime=attitudes improved because...
  • crimerate went down 
  • the police were very disciplined and not allowed to react to horrible cases because of strict rules
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