History Crime and Punishment

Roman laws - dealt with every form of crime, from assassination to everyday crimes.
There were laws designed to make Rome a better place to live in; householders had to keep pavements and streets clean outside their homes.
Dumping waste in the River Tiber was illegal, as was starting fires.

The first recorded Roman laws - Twelve Tables which were written down around 450 BC. Over the next thousand years, new laws were added as rulers tried to stop crime.

Roman policing:

In the early Rome times - there was no police force. If a Roman was attacked or robbed, he had to catch the criminal himself, with help from friends or neighbours. In 6 AD, the Emperor set up forces to police Rome, but most were caught up with fire-fighting. The core of the police were riot…