History - Crime and Punishment - 18th and 19th century - The silent system

18th - 19th century:

The silent system

General:

• 1860s: Few people were being hanged and no more transportation
• Prisons were now the main method of punishment for serious offenders
• Crime was falling but certain crimes created fear among the public
• Popular booklets spread fear about violent crime and caused many to believe not enough was being done to deter the criminals
• One of these crimes was the 'garroting crisis' which was garrotters partly strangling the victim so they could be robbed easily. A few cases happened and people blamed the Government for allowing them out of prison early for good behaivour. This led to…