History 1.4
Punishment - the bloody code
Public executions were used as a deterrent, and so many crimes were punishable by death. This included crimes such as petty theft.
Many thought that the bloody code was not an effective way of punishing criminal, and so thought that a more fair punishment was necessary.
The bloody code was used to deter criminals, as opposed to preventing crime or solving it, but this didn't work - criminals were unlikely to be convicted if the judge thought that the punishment was too harsh, and if there was even the slightest chance that they would be wrong.
Crime - Highway men
Some highwaymen were from wealthy backgrounds, and had been driven to rob for reasons other than money. This included grief or because they had run away from home e.t.c
The highwaymen were more common in the 1700's, as the roads were badly maintained and cars moved slowly. Highwaymen rode horses, and so were able to easily escape slow moving cars e.t.c.
Highway robbery rose to epic proportions, and so highwaymen were romanticised.
Some toll roads and roads that didn't allow horses were used, so that highway robbery could be limited or stopped on these areas.
Most highway robbery happened near forests, so the robbers could hide there.
The Fielding brothers.
The Fielding brothers set up the first paid police force in London. Henry Fielding set up the bow street runners in 1749.
Bow street runners were poorly paid, and so were often open to bribery from criminals. They were not very professional, and didn't have a uniform or any sort of physical test.
Prison reformation
Robert Peel
Elizabeth Fry
John Fielding
These roads were called turnpike roads, and aimed to make travelling safer for people.
When visiting prisons in London, fry was appalled. She saw young children and women starving and in pain.
when visiting Pentonville, Fry saw clothes being ripped from a dead baby and being put on a live one.
She set up prayer groups and taught prisoners life skills, in the hope that they would learn to live more honest lives and be able to earn a living when they got out of prison, and would have god on their side.
Tolpuddle Martyrs