History Crime and Punishment ~ Industrial Period

1700s

Smuggling became a popular crime —> considered to be a social crime

Highway robbery increased = people glorified them

1713

Stealing more than 40 shillings became capital offense

1723

Black Act = made poaching punishable by death

1735

Hawk Hurst Gang arose - smuggling gangs

1736

Witch-craft decriminalized

Due to an increase the scientific discoveries —> King Charles II set up the royal society

1748

Bow St. Runners set up by Henry Fielding in Bow st Magistrate

1758

Bow st runner started getting paid by the government:

• Started introducing roles that modern detective have

• Began patrols on foot and horse

• Shared information of criminals = beginning of a crime intelligence network

1772

Highway robbery became punishable by death

1774

John Howards campaigned for the realise of prisoners after their sentence —> gaolers Act = healthy and clean conditions for jailers

1777

John Howard published a prisons record

1780

Prime Minister William Pritt reduced taxes on import = reduced smuggling

1800s

Better banks :

• highway robbery reduced

• Decline of bloody code + transportation

• Increase of prisons :

  • safer for public

  • Rehab the criminal

  • Punish by hard-labour

1810

222 crimes were a capital offense

1813

Elizabeth fry visited Newgate prisons and held educational classes

1823

Gaolers Act :

• chaplains and Doctors should visit prisoners

• Gaolers should be paid a fixed rate

• Prisoners should be put in chains

• Females Gaolers should handle female prisoners

1825

penal code reforms: Peel reduced the n.o. of capital offences by 100

1826

Economic turndown:

• Increased unemployment

• Increased poverty

• Increased crime rate

1829

MET polic act - Britain’s first professional police force formed

1832

Capital crimes reduced - now only 60

1835

Municipal Corporations Act - Borough councils could set up police forces in their area

1835

Gaolers Act

1834, Feb

Tolpuddle Martyrs:

1. They formed a Trade union ( friendly society )

2. Arrest for taking secret oaths - Naval Laws

3. Found guilty and sentenced to transportation to AUS for 7 years

4. Mass protests and a petition w/ 2000 signatures

5. Protest continued until they came back home

1839

Rural Constabulary Act - counties could set up police forces

1842

Pentonville prison Introduced:

• Rehab = solitude - people were masked and not allowed to speak

• Retribution - isolation and boredom to pay for their crimes

• Less diseases - more clean

1842

Detective departments set up in MET police headquarters

1842 - 77

90 new prisons built

1856

Police Act :

• Police forces were mandatory across england

• all forces were funded by government

1868

Public executions stop

1869

A national crime records was set up

1877

All prisons we under the government

1878

CID set up - criminal investigations department