GCSE Crime and Punishment
Fullhurst History Department
Everything you wanted to know about Crime and Punishment, but were
too afraid to ask...
This document is designed to give you an overview of the WJEC Crime and Punishment
topic. It will contain information which you need to know in your exam. It is NOT
everything you should know! You will need to use this knowledge as a basic idea and
expand from there. Use it, read it, learn it.
The guide will be split into 2 main sections one will be on Crime and will relate to what
you need to answer question 1 in the exam. The second section will be on Punishment and
will relate to what you need to answer question 3 in the exam.
All sections will cover the period of 1530 – Present Day and be split in 3 categories.
The Tudor Period / The Industrial Revolution / The Modern Day.
When it comes to the exam, we advise you answer Question 1, 3 and 6.
REMEMBER TO TALK ABOUT ALL 3 TIME PERIODS IN
QUESTION 6!
Enjoy!
DC March 2012
GCSE Crime and Punishment
Fullhurst History Department
SECTION 1 – Crime from 1530 – Present Day
Category 1 – Crime in the Tudor Period (1530-c.1750)
1. Err... Free Stuff Please?
The Tudor period has a number of crimes that
you need to know about. The first one was the
crime of begging and vagrancy – this was
simply people who were out of work asking for
handouts and those who moved from town to
town doing this. To the Tudors there were 2
types of poor people.
1. Tudors being friendly to the Poor. True Story.

The Deserving Poor – People who could not work for a valid reason like they were
too young or had suffered some kind of terrible accident. These were the good
type of poor people.

The Undeserving Poor – People who could work but chose not to, or tried to con
people out of money – like Baretop tricksters and Tom O’Bedlams. These were the
bad type of people who the Tudors would wanted punished.
The key casues of begging and vagrancy were simple
Closure of the Monasteries:
Sheep!: Lots of farms turned
These used to give food and
into sheep farms – which need
help to the poor. No Monastery
less workers, so people got
– no food or support!
fired!
Move to the Cities: No jobs in the countryside? Move to the city right?! Only.
Everyone did it. So there were too many people in the cities and there were no
jobs there either!
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Tudors were very harsh towards anyone they felt was not trying hard enough since their
religious backgrounds made them think everyone should work hard for what they get and
not slack off... an idea which might have some merit!
2. Soo.... what am I supposed to believe this week?
The second Tudor specific crime that you need to know
about was one called Heresy. This was were a person
did not believe in the same religion as the current King
or Queen and was seen as a major crime in the Tudor
Period for a number of reasons, the main one being that
pretty much everyone was very religious.
2. The Tudor Religion Ride. Keeping arms
and head in the vehicle at all times wasn't
always possible...
The problem with this for most people was the fact the religion that they were meant to
be kept changing during the Tudor Period as the following table shows...
King or Queen
Henry VIII
Edward VI
Mary I
Elizabeth I
What was the right religion?
Started off as Catholic. Then switched to
Protestant. Then moved back towards
Catholic.
Very Protestant
Very Catholic
Protestant. But if you want to be Catholic
that was fine. Just do it in secret.
So. Whilst the Kings and Queens kept changing their minds the ordinary people were
expected to do the same. Yet for many, this was not that easy. Since most people were
very religious they did not like the idea of changing – since if they did they would betray
their religion they thought they would goto hell!
The other main problem with the religion switching is that both sides thought it was
their job to convert the other to the ‘right’ religion... so each side tried. A lot. Yet as we
already seen... people would rather die than swtich religion so we mostly had both sides
trying to batter each other over religion. Good times.
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3. Infamy, Infamy! They’ve all got it in for me!
The final Tudor specific crime that you need to know
about is treason. Treason as a crime is quite simple – it is
a severe crime against the monarch or the nation – which
during the Tudor Period were pretty much seen as the
same thing. Treason was probably just about the worst
crime that anyone could commit during this time and had
3. A fine example of Treason. Really.

a range of factors:
Religion – People would want to go against the Monarch and the Nation if they
were of a different religion and wanted change. This happened a number of times.

Poverty -
Lack of food and money would cause rebllions against a ‘greedy’ king or
queen. (see Henry VIII)

Ambition – Rich nobles sometimes thought they would make a better monarch and
plotted to overthrow the current ruler and replace them.(See Mary Queen of
Scots!)
The most famous example of treason in this period is of course the Gunpowder Plot. The
sequence of events of the Gunpowder Plot are of course well known to us today thanks to
Bonfire Night... but you will need to know a little bit more than “Remember, Remember
the 5th of November...”
Causes of the Gunpowder Plot: The King - James I had been introducing a
set of anti-Catholic laws in England. After largely being left alone under
Elizabeth I – James and his Chief Minister Robert Cecil had started
attacking the Catholics to try and win popularity....
Events of the Gunpowder Plot: A set of conspirators, supposedly lead
by Guido (Guy) Fawkes came up with a cunning plan. They would rent a
cellar underneath parliament, stuff it with gunpowder and blow up the
King & Parliament and replace him with a Catholic. The night before the
plot an anonymous letter to Baron Mounteagle revealed the plot and
lead to the arrest of the plotters (some after a chase into the
Midlands) and them being charged with treason,
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Treason or Set up: Historians have argued over whether the
Gunpowder Plot is a real fine example of treason or a set up. Whilst
it is true there was much anger towards James I from Catholics and
if the gunpowder had gone off he certainly would’ve been killed there
are some issues with the plot
1. The cellar that the Gunpowder was owned by a friend of Robert
Cecil – the King’s chief advisor
2. Gunpowder was kept secure in the Tower of London – which was
run by... Robert Cecil.
3. Information on the plot was passed on to Robert Cecil well before
the Mounteagle letter. Yet nothing was done.
4. Guy Fawkes confession to the plot came after mass torture.
If it was treason or not is hard for us to say... but you do need to know
about the main events that are listed here!
So... these are our tudor crimes. For all of them they have pretty similar and common
causes. Religion, Poverty and Ambition. Make sure you know them!
Category 2 – Crime in the Industiral Revolution (c.1750 -1900)
4. Err.... More Free Stuff please?
The first of our Industrial Revolution
crimes is good old fashioned smuggling.
This is the crime of bringing goods into
the country illegally to try and avoid
paying money on them and although it
does still exist today – YOU should NOT
talk about smuggling people or TVs in the
exam!
The causes of Smuggling during the
Industrial Revolution were quite simple
4. Smugglers. Smuggling. Funny, that.
GCSE Crime and Punishment
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1. Britain had a large Empire producing a lot of new goods like tea, coffee, sugar,
cotton, silk, spices and tobacco.
2. These all had to be brought back into Britain by sea. When they arrived the
government charged them money to bring it into the country
3. This made prices of the goods higher which makes people grumpy.
4. Since Britain has a large coastline, people had the bright idea that if they don’t
land at the main ports they don’t have to pay the tax.
5. Smuggling happens!
Most ordinary people were actually in favour of smuggling... since it meant that the
things they ended up buying were cheaper. Whilst the government were not in favour of
smuggling, since it meant that they were losing money... which actually made most people
like smuggling more!
Government attempts to control smuggling were thwarted for a number of reasons

Smugglers mainly operated at night and in remote locations. It was hard for the
Excise Men to keep a track of them. Excise men being responsible for checking up
on smuggling. Not exercise.

Many ordinary people would help smugglers out by leaving barns or houses open for
them to hide the goods

On the off chance the smugglers were caught... they could simply bribe their way
out of trouble since the excise men weren’t paid much!
Smuggling only stopped being a problem when the import taxes were lowered... this made
normal goods the same price as smuggled goods and getting normal goods would not
result in a mild case of death like being involved with smuggled goods so it quickly
became a lot less common!
5. Stand and Deliver! Your Money or your wife life!
Our next exciting Industrial Revolution based crime
is that of Highwaymen. These are the fine gentlemen
such as Dick Turpin who rode around the highways of
England to rob from the rich and... err... well, give to
themselves.
Highwaymen were a huge problem in the 18th and 19th
Century. The road network in Britain was starting to
5. A highwayman. With a peg leg. And a mask.
And bright red coat. Not exactly keeping a low
profile....
GCSE Crime and Punishment
expand rapidly... by proper roads actually being built
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rather than there just being a dirt track for people to follow... and this lead to an
increase in the amount of people travelling around the country by horse drawn coaches
known as stagecoaches.
Obviously as people travelled around, so they became a target for criminals. Highwaymen
were often cruel, vicious and violent. Some were even known to cut out their victims
tounges so they couldn’t report them! The main reasons for the increase in highwayman
were

Guns became easier and cheaper to get

Horses became cheaper to buy

There were lots of open land around towns in which highwaymen could operate
and hide

The amount of coaches travelling around England increased massively.
Controlling the threat of highwaymen was a massive problem due to the lack of any
actual police force operating in the country. It was onlt when towns started organising
their own patrols, high rewards were offered for highwaymens capture and people got
wise and stopped carrying all their cash with them (and so it became unprofitable to rob
them) did the number of highwaymen start to die down.
6. I predict a Riot!
The final crime that in our whistle stop tour of
the Industrial Revolution is, rather unhelpfully,
not one crime at all. But it’s the cause of a
number of crimes we want you to know about Industrialisation. During the 18th and 19th
Century Britain underwent a dramatic change
with the rapid growth and development of towns
6. A Man rioting. Yes. He is dressed as a woman. Don't
ask...
and increasing levels of factories resulted in a
number of different crimes and issues.
The first issue that you need to know about is how the growth of towns during the
industrial revolution lead to a change in crime. These are the main points...
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More People in One Place -
Cramped Conditions - More
Simply put, more people
people in towns lead to narrow
moved to towns to find jobs.
terraced housing being built.
This lead to more crime
This made crime easier since
because the more people
houses were closer together -
there are the more crime
so robbing them and hiding is
there will be!
much easier.
Growth of Towns in the
Industrial Revolution
Dark Streets - The size of
Jobs - Competition for jobs
the new towns resulted in a lot
in towns could also lead to
of streets being unlit and
crime. In order to create job
therefore there was an
opportunities it wasn’t
increase in robberies and
uncommon for unemployed
murders as the criminal could
people to arrange for those
simply disappear into the night
with a job to have an
‘accident!’
So. As well as towns getting bigger and causing more crime, Industrialisation also help
sparked a new wave of crime around the idea of Protests for the following reasons

Politics - During this period people wanted the opportunity to vote. Since only 5%
of the country could vote this meant there were a lot of people who wanted the
vote and couldn’t. Hence. Protests.

Philosophy - Again. During this time people started to have some interesting ideas
about everyone being equal and should, you know, actually be treated like that.
Which is what had not been happening for pretty much... ever? This also led to
Protests.
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
Change - As we’ve mentioned a number of times this period was a time of great
change. Some people don’t like change. At all. So.... yup, you guessed it... they
protested about it!
So. All these Protests? You need to know about 3 in particular.
1. Luddites - These were the group who were protesting about change. The
developments in the Industrial Revolution had meant that factories could make
more of things and a quicker rate than before. This meant that some people lost
jobs and business that they used to have before. So. What’s the obvious thing to
do here? Go into the factories and smash up all the machines and new technology.
That’ll teach it a lesson!
2. Swing Riots - These guys were protesting about change and a little bit about
philosophy. They took place in the 1830s in the South of England, which was still
mainly farming areas. But even here new machinery had made farming easier and
so people would need fewer workers. Hence Protest and smash machines - same as
the Luddites. Yet the swing riots were also about the fact that the people who
still had a job were being exploited and paid less buy their bosses - and that
wasn’t on either!
3. Rebecca Riots - These took place between 1839 and 1843 and were again about
change and equality. People in South Wales were being charged tolls to use roads
to move their goods around and these tolls were beyond what they could afford.
Since up until very recently they had not had to pay for the roads and many did
not think they should have to pay to move around the land. Which they had been
doing for free until someone put a fence on the road and charged them money... as
to why it was called the Rebecca Riots? Well. The Rioters (men) dressed up as
women (Rebecca). Who said the Welsh weren’t creative?
So. These are our Industrial Revolution crimes. They again have pretty common causes poverty, new technology and lack of proper policing!
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Category 3 - Crime in the Modern Day (1900 - Err.... now?)
7. I feel the need. The need for speed!
So. As we enter the modern period we have a whole new
range of crime for you to examine, yay! The first is
quite simply motor crime. Which is just what is says on
the tin... crimes related to (motor)cars. As the 20th
Century has developed Cars have become much more
7. A Car. If you really needed me to tell you
that.... *gulp*...
Crime
Car Theft
Drink Driving
Speeding & Parking Fines
GCSE Crime and Punishment
prominent which has lead to a whole new raft of
crimes...
Description
Cause
Stealing a Car. Funnily Enough. Poverty and Jealous. As
Cars have developed there
has been a clear difference
in what makes a ‘good’ car
and what makes a ‘bad car.
People are quite willing to
steal better cars - not only
so they can have it, but also
cars can be stripped for
parts to make a lot of cash.
Driving whilst under the
As cars have become more
influence of alcohol
popular things like drink
driving have become much
more common. The
pressures of modern life
mean many seek to escape
through drink and then go
onto drive. Not a bright
idea.
Going faster than the allowed Cars have required a whole
speed limit & not parking
new set of rules and
where you are allowed
regulations - about how fast
it is safe to go at and where
you can park. As people
today feel that they are
constantly in a rush, they
are often willing to break
the law for the sake of
their own convenience!
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8. Click Here to claim your $40 million win on the Nigerian Lottery...
Another major contributor to crime in the 20th
Century is the rise of the computer. Of course,
you could argue that the computer has actually
just made it easier to do old crimes, but just do
them better.... but that’s not how WJEC see it,
so that’s not how we see it! The new crimes that
have been created by the computer are as
8. A Computer. In case you've been living under a
rock.

follows.
Hacking - Easy enough to explain and understanding - breaking into someone else’s
computer to take information that doesn’t belong to you, or to mess up what they
have.

Computer Fraud - We get sent all kinds of spam e-mails telling us that we’ve won
some lottery abroad or that or internet bank wants us to renter or login details...
and these are all attempts to con us out of our money and hope that we don’t
understand the technology and go along with it.

Viruses - Deliberate attempts to cause damage to others computers and
programs

Identity Theft - By using a variety of the other crimes we can create another
person’s identity online and use it to buy things or do things and not worry about
the consequences

Cash - Using Identity theft, fraud, hacking and viruses also allow criminals to
steal from bank accounts online.
So. Why are all these crimes caused by the computer? Simple really. It is an easy and
quick way to commit these crimes. No longer does our criminal have to risk going outside
and facing any danger to commit these crimes, when he can do them from the safety of
his/her own house, in a comfy chair and with a cuppa in hand. As well as that - the
internet allows a degree of protection from being discovered. So. Commit crime and
home and stay safe - no wonder computer crime is on the increase!
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9. You were only supposed to blow the bloody doors off...
Our last crime is the increasing trend of violent crime
within the 20th Century. Whilst violent crime itself is
not a new thing (Highwaymen cutting out tongues,
anyone?) there has been a trend in the modern period
for new types of violent and somewhat senseless crimes
cause by a range of factors. So look below and learn!
9. One of the 20th Centuries most violent
Criminals. If he ever actually managed to do
it...
Terrorism - This has become one
IRA Bombings - Britain has
of the most famous crimes of the
experienced terrorism during the
20th/21st Century. Events like 9/11
second half of the 20th Century as
and the London Bombings show
the IRA bombed mainland Britain
the idea of terrorism - targeting
to try and force Northern Ireland
innocent civilians in order to try
to join the Republic of Ireland.
and send a message to
Many were killed and wounded and
governments...
it has only recently stopped.
Drug Crime - There are 2 types
Gun and Knife Crime - As society
of drug crime. The first is the
has changed so has the culture of
smuggling and dealing of drugs as
its people. Gun and knife crime is
more and more people use drugs in
on the increase. Many people feel
society. The second is people
they need to be armed to protect
committing crime in order to try
themselves... and once they have a
and feed drug habits.
weapon they are more inclined to
use it...
Football Hooliganism - Again during the later part of the 20th Century football
became a major source of crime. Matches were less a source of entertainment and
more a chance to get involved in a punch up and inflict pain on others. The inflicting
pain is still true when watching Leicester Coventry City today.
Modern Day crime causes of crime are still related to poverty, but have also changed
because of developments in technology and the pressure and pace of modern life.
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Section 2 - Punishment from 1530 - Modern Day
Section 1 - Tudor Punishments (1530 - 1750)
1. This won’t hurt a bit.... promise!
There is one basic aim to Tudor Punishment - Pain! Tudor
punishments were designed to inflict pain upon the criminal
(corporal punishment) and so act as a deterrent to other criminals
thinking of committing the same crime. They would see the pain
and humiliation that other criminals went through and would not
want the same thing to happen to them and not commit the crime.
A fine plan with only one teeny tiny drawback. It didn’t really
10. Tudor Relaxation
Technique. Sort of.
work!
Examples of Corporal Punishment in the Tudor Period

The Stocks - Criminal is forced to sit down with their feet locked into a wooden
board. This usually only lasts for a couple of days. But the criminal can expect to
have rotten food thrown at them. This was used for minor crimes.

The Pillory - Similar to the stocks but the criminal stands up and their head and
hands are locked into the wooden board (see above!). Occasionally the ear may be
nailed to the pillory as an additional punishment. Also used for minor crimes.

Whipping - A punishment used in conjunction with the Pillory. The Criminal would
also sometimes be whipped as well. This was used for second offences.
2. Burn Baby, Burn!
In keeping with the whole pain, humiliation and
deterrent idea the other main form of Tudor
punishment was execution (capital punishment). For
the Tudors there were 2 main crimes that needed
public executions. Treason - which resulted in a mild
11. Health and Safety. Tudor Style
case of beheading and Heresy - which resulted in a
mild case of being burnt alive. For the Tudors it was
important as we’ve said that punishment was done in public as an example and warning to
others. Specific examples of Tudor style executions are as follows!
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Victim
Marian Persecutions
Mary, Queen of
Scots
John Penry
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Crime
Heresy
Detail
When Mary I became Queen in 1553 she switched
England back to being Catholic. In order to speed
up the process Mary went after some of the key
figures of the Protestant religion - having them
arrested, tried and found guilty and then burnt. In
all Mary had around 300 people burnt in 5 years enough to earn her the nickname Bloody Mary!
Treason
Mary Queen of Scots was the cousin of Elizabeth I
who after 3 marriages, 1 baby, a number of violent
murders and a rebellion had fled to England to get
Lizzies help. Liz’s response? Lock Mary away (gotta
love family!) because Mary was a Catholic. From
1569 - 1587 Mary was locked away but still became
the focal point of a number of Catholic plots to
replace Elizabeth as Queen of England with Mary.
After the last one - The Babington Plot (which may
or may not have been a giant set up) Elizabeth had
enough and signed Mary’s death warrant. She was
executed for treason by being beheaded - since
that was the classy way to do it according to the
Tudors!
Treason
Penry was Protestant preacher who was eventually
and/or
killed thanks to his clashes with the Archbishop of
Heresy
Canterbury during the time of Elizabeth I.
(Basically. Although he started life as a Roman Catholic (bad)
Anything he quickly converted to being a Protestant (good)
they
but to the point that he became an extreme
could get Protestant - a Puritan (bad) and gave a number of
him with!) speeches and wrote a number of texts complaining
about the state of the Church, which made him a
number of enemies. They eventually managed to pin
a charge of bad mouthing the Queen on him which
was enough to get Penry hanged for his troubles!
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3. Welcome to the House of Fun!
The last and perhaps least well used form of Tudor
Punishment were Prisons. There were 3 main type of
Tudor Prison that were used; House of Correction,
Bridewells and Debtor’s Prisons. They were all meant to
be minor punishments and there was very little thought
to actually reforming the prisoners as the attitude was
very much about humiliating the criminal into behaving.
12. Prison. Hard to say if it's got better or
worse...

Houses of correction were places for the punishment and reform of the poor who
were convicted of petty offences. In houses of correction prisoners undertook
hard labour and were often whipped. The most common charges in the late 17th
and 18th centuries were vagrancy, prostitution, petty theft and ‘loose, idle and
disorderly conduct’. Sentencing to a house of correction did not require a formal
trial. More than half of offenders were released within a week and two thirds
within two weeks. Punishment in houses of correction was designed to be a short,
sharp shock!

Bridewell’s were for the punishment of the ‘disorderly poor’ and housing of
homeless children in the City of London. Bridewell was more advanced than any
other 18th century prison and was a relatively healthy and clean place. Prisoners
were inspected for disease and given medical care. The London poor seemed to
view it more favourably than other prisons and during the Gordon Riots of 1780
when other prisons were burned to the ground, Bridewell escaped intact although
its prisoners were re-leased!

Debtors’ Prisons was simply prison for those that owed money! Debt was common
in England and Wales at this time. Most prisoners were small tradesmen and
businessmen. Typically a debtor was accused by the person to who money was
owed. The accused was held in a sponging house and if the money could not be
raised within a few days the debtor was imprisoned until the debt was paid back.
So. The basic point of Tudor Punishment? Humiliate and Scare criminals into making sure
that they behaved!
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Section 2 - Industrial Revolution Punishments (1750-1900)
4. In a land far, far away...
During the Industrial Revolution attitudes towards
punishment began to change. Partly because of ideas
previously mentioned (you know, the equality stuff that
caused riots?), people started to think that inflicting
cruel, severe humiliating punishments might be a bad
13. All expenses paid trip to Australia.
Complete with chains!
thing.... so they came up with Transportation instead!
What is it?
Why do it?
It was sending criminals to parts of
People started to think punishments
the British Empire like Australia,
were too harsh. To the point the
Gibraltar or Bermuda for 7 or 14
criminals were being let off. Sending
years or for life.
criminals to the colonies made sense!
Transportation
What was it like?
The voyage out was bad enough. Prisoners were kept in cramped conditions on hulks
(Old disused warships) and the voyage could take anywhere between 8 months to a
year. On their arrival prisoners were forced to do hard labour and were basically
treated as slaves. When they were finished people were allowed to go home, but most
chose to stay in Australia. Partly because they would have a better a life, but also they
couldn’t afford to go back. It was also much better when gold was found in the 1850s!
Transportation as a punishment was finished by the end of the 19th Century... too many
people saw it as a good thing rather than a punishment!
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5. If you kids don’t behave.... no execution for you on Sunday!
Another major shift in attitudes to punishment in the
Industrial Revolution came with the attitudes towards the
Bloody Code. During the early part of the 18th Century in
response to a number of new crimes (see section 1) the
government decided to make example of the criminals. All
these crimes were to be punished with execution. Soon,
England had well over 200 crimes that you could be
executed for. Including such vile offence as: stealing a
sheep, graffiti on Westminster Bridge, digging up a tree
and shooting a rabbit! This system of justice has been
nicknamed The Bloody Code (No prizes for guessing why)
14. The Bloody Code. Nice and fair for
all. Sort of.

and was meant to act as a warning to criminals, but it didn’t
work and so change was needed!
Public Executions – These were a key part of the Bloody Code. People would be
hung in public as a warning to others. Yet they didn’t work. Most people saw a
Public Execution as a day out and a chance to have some fun. They were popular
events! Criminals weren’t put off committing the crime since: a) they still had to
be caught and b) It encouraged them to commit worse crimes! Since the
punishment for theft and murder were the same... why not kill any potential
witness?

Reform of the Criminal Code, 1823 – Sir Robert Peel the Home Secretary (guy
in charge of crime and punishment) started to make changes in 1823. He slowly
reduced the number of crimes that you could be executed for down to 4; murder,
treason, piracy with violence and burning down a weapons store or dockyard. He
also had the radical idea that crime should be prevented with a police force and
not use public executions as a warning. Crazy, huh? Public Hanging was abolished
in 1868 and the Bloody Code was finished.
6. How to waste time. 19th Century style.
The final part of Peel’s major reforms came with changes
to how Prisons would work. In the Tudor times, Prisons were
very much an afterthought for punishment. Yet as the
Industrial Revolution went on they became a key part of
punishment thanks to the work of three people who helped
15. Happy Victorian Prisoners.
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cause a number of changes
Name
John Howard
Elizabeth Fry
George O.
Paul
Work
Howard was responsible for Prisons
in Bedfordshire and made a tour of
them in the 1770s. He published a
book in 1777 that highlight the
major problems (Disease is high,
prisoners are mistreated and
prisoners learn more about crime
from others) and gave a series of
recommendations (Get prisoners to
work and think about what they’ve
done, clean up Prisons, look after
the prisoners)
Impact
Howard’s work was taken quite
seriously and his book was
referenced in Parliament a number
of times. In 1823 as part of Peel’s
reforms a number of changes were
made to Prisons that reflected
Howard’s ideas – Prisons had to be
secure and healthy, Prisoners are
to be kept apart, doctors, teachers
and churchmen are to visit the
prisoners regularly and attempts
should be made to reform the
Prisoners.
Fry visited prisons and was shocked A lot of people did mock Fry for
by the conditions she found. She
her efforts, but she also gained a
spent her time getting prisoners to lot of respect. She also made
clean the cells and taught them
people realise that conditions in
how to knit socks. She also made
prisons were far too harsh and that
sure that female prisoners could
it was possible to change the
learn how to read and write
behaviour of prisoners for the
better and maybe that was a better
idea that letting ¼ of them die!
Worked in Gloucester in the 1780s Gloucester Prison became the
to design a new type of Prison. Paul model that pretty much all other
was disgusted with conditions same prisons built in the 19th Century
as Howard and came up with a
were based on and his ideas were
number of ideas. He designed his
widely copied.
prison so that the Walls were 5.4m
tall to make sure escapes was not
possible. He also created ventilated
cells and open spaces to allow fresh
air in the prison to help keep
prisoners healthy. Paul also created
separate cells for men and women
and those who were guilty of crime
and those just awaiting trial. Finally
he made sure that in his prison his
staff was paid and the prisoners
had access to education.
GCSE Crime and Punishment
Fullhurst History Department
The final changes that were introduced to Prisons were about how the Prisoners were to
be punished whilst they were there. People were now keen on the idea that Prisoners
should be reformed and get them to learn about the error of their ways. The 2 main
methods to do this were

The Silent System – Prisoners would be made to do a boring repetitive task in
complete silence for most of the day. The task would have no actual end product
but was meant to make the prisoner reflect upon his crime and be that bored that
they would not want to risk coming back to Prison again. It was also meant to stop
Prisoners from talking to each other and helping each other learn how to be
better criminals

The Separate System- Prisoners would be kept in a cell with no human contact
for weeks at a time, sometimes even months. At the end of it a Chaplin would
come in to try and convince the Prisoner to live a better life after they’ve had the
chance to think about what they did. This was perhaps less effective than the
Silent System because the Separate System had the unfortunate side effect of
driving quite a few prisoners insane and quite often killing themselves. It ended up
being used as an extra punishment – solitary confinement.
So. Punishment in the Industrial Revolution showed a number of signs of change. We
moved away from the idea that punishment should be a warning (though this did not go
completely) and perhaps criminals should be reformed instead.
GCSE Crime and Punishment
Fullhurst History Department
Section 3 – Punishment in the Modern Day (1900 – Err. Now?)
7. Wait? I can’t whack ‘em anymore?
During the Modern Era our attitudes
towards the punishment of criminals has
changed somewhat dramatically. Although
they have changed a lot when compared to
the Tudor Period if you examine how quickly
16. The only known photo of anyone being sentenced to
death in England..
that change has happened... it is not that
quick at all! (Hint. Use that in question 6! )
 Capital Punishment – As we have gone through the 20th Century Capital
Punishment has been used much less frequently as there has been a change in
opinion towards it as a form of punishment. Many people now believe that killing
people is wrong no matter what they have done and that every effort should be
made to reform the criminal and rehabilitate them rather than just kill them.
There was huge debate in the UK about the ending of the death penalty and the
last executions took place in England in 1964 before the Death Penalty was
abolished for murder in 1969 and completely in 1998.
 Corporal Punishment – Same as with capital punishment, corporal punishment
also dropped during the course of the 20th Century. As people began to believe in
the ideas that people should be treated with respect and punishment should not
be about retribution – punishing them for what they have done but rehabilitation
- making them a useful and productive member of society again. To this end
corporal punishment ended in the UK in 1948 – particularly after the events of
WW2 had such an impact on the country and the ideas on how people should and
should not be treated.
8. Here’s a crazy idea... how about we don’t let young criminals learn
from the old ones?!
With the new emphasis on reform and rehabilitation of
prisoners is has lead to a number of changes within Prisons
and how they work over the 20th Century. These include
Borstals, Young Offenders Institutes, Open Prisons and
17. PE at Borstal. Be grateful of your
own lessons...
GCSE Crime and Punishment
Fullhurst History Department
Modern Prisons.
Borstals – These were
Young Offenders Institutes –
introduced to England in 1902.
These were introduced to
The basic idea was to separate
England in 1988 to replace
the younger criminals from the
Borstals. They served the same
older ones so they wouldn’t
purpose to separate younger
learn from them. Whilst in
and older criminals but rather
Borstal they would have a very
than using the harsh routines
fixed lifestyle that was
and discipline of Borstals the
designed to install discipline.
focus is on education and
Life was tough and punishment
rehabilitating the young people
could be brutal but it was
by giving them a skill they can
meant to be educational rather
use when they leave so they do
than harsh. The Borstal system
not need to commit crime.
was abolished in 1982
Open Prisons – These have
Modern Prisons – The Modern
been introduced as a
Prison system works on the
punishment for minor offences.
idea of Categories. Different
The prisoners have very limited
crimes have different levels of
security and are allowed to
severity and so prisoners are
walk around the grounds at will
assigned accordingly. A is for
as they are trusted not to
the worst and most serious
escape. It is meant to be a
crimes. B is for mid level
punishment that is proportional
crimes and C is for minor
to minor crimes.
crimes. The idea being that
minor criminals will no longer
be corrupted by the worst
criminals!
So... the systems developed in the 19th Century have been expanded on and developed
during the 20th.
GCSE Crime and Punishment
Fullhurst History Department
9. Can’t beat ‘em? Tag ‘em!
With the abolition of corporal and capital punishments,
a range of different punishments have been introduced
in their place. The basic idea behind many of these is to
give the criminal a second chance – again linking in with
the idea of rehabilitation and allowing people a chance
18. 20th Century Fashion Accessories. Like
Ankle Tags. Good times.
to make up for their wrong doing. All of the following
punishments are only given for minor crimes and
offences – like multiple traffic offences etc.
Punishment
Electronic Tagging
Suspended
Sentences
Probation/Parole
Community Service
ASBOs
Description
The Criminal is fitted with an
electronic tag that allows the
Police to know where they
are at all times.
The criminal is given a jail
sentence – but it is
suspended. Meaning they
don’t have to do it unless
they break the law again.
Criminals are allowed out of
their sentence early on the
promise that they will behave
and follow certain conditions.
Usually a reward for good
behaviour
Criminals are assigned to
jobs that will provide a
service to their local
community. This can be
working with those who are in
need, cleaning up
litter/graffiti or things like
that.
Anti-Social Behaviour Orders
were designed to stop people
from doing minor things that
disrupted others
GCSE Crime and Punishment
Reason
The criminal is allowed some
freedom with restrictions. It shows
a degree of trust but makes sure
they can’t do anything else wrong!
Gives the criminal a second chance
and acts as a warning for their
behaviour in the future. Bit like
getting a C1!
Again it is the idea of giving people a
second chance and actually
rewarding those that have made the
effort to change.
The criminal is given the opportunity
to pay back the community that they
have done wrong to and basically
earn forgiveness
Again, it acts as a warning system to
people. Rather than punishment
straight away they are given the
chance to change the behaviour
before it turns into a major problem
Fullhurst History Department
And that ends our look at Punishment in the Modern Day. Here there has been drastic
change because Punishment now works solely on the idea of reforming the criminal and
not causing them pain or humiliation!
And that’s it! This is the overview of what you need to know for Crime and Punishment.
It may not be everything you need but as we said – it is something that should give you a
good understanding of anything you might be asked questions on!
When it comes to the exam, don’t forget that we’re here to help you as much as possible
and anything you’re stuck on... ask for help!
If not, good luck and hope this helps!
GCSE Crime and Punishment
Fullhurst History Department
Bonus Section – Exam Advice!
I’m going to finish the guide with some quick advice on the questions in the paper. This
was the advice given to me by people who run the course. So I’m hoping it’s good!
First of all....
Answer Questions 1, 3 and 6!
These are the ones you will
be best prepared to do!
For 1 & 3 Question by question advice is as follows;
a) You need to give 2 points about the question that come from the source. This can
be 1 from the source and 1 from the caption, it doesn’t matter. But make sure it is
relevant! (E.g. No they wear hats! :D)
b) The describe question needs 3 developed statements – this means you tell me 3
things about the topic supported by some evidence/detail/information. You do not
need to explain WHY on this question at all!
c) You will be given 2 sources. You will be told to use the sources and your own
knowledge. DO IT! Set out your answer by saying “Source B tells me” and then
explain what it shows, “Source C tells me” and then do the same and finally “My
own knowledge tells me” and then the same. If you do not make it clear you’ve
used both sources and own knowledge, you will not get 6/6
d) Your answer must start with “Yes it is important because” Whatever the question
is – it is going to be important. You then need to set out your answer so that you
explain what it was that person did, or what that event did AND why that makes
it important. You must come back to explain why it makes it Important! You should
be writing that word a lot – since it’s what the whole question is about!
The essay question. Number 6. I would really strongly advise you to answer number 6. It
will be about punishment from the Tudor Period to the Modern Day. It will give you the
bullet points about; Transportation, Prison Reform, Corporal Punishment, and Public
Execution – These will not change. You can prepare your answer going in. Make sure you
do the following and you will get 5 or 6 out of 10



Describe the Punishments in the Tudor period and say why they were used
Describe the Punishments in the Industrial Revolution , why they were used and if
they changed from the Tudor Period
Describe the Punishments in the Modern Day, why they were used and if they
changed from the Industrial Revolution.
No matter what the question is – this is a GREAT starting point. For higher marks? Look
at what the question is asking you. Is it about types of punishments or attitudes
towards. Make sure you explain the RATE of change over time. Did things constantly
change? If so it is a quick change. If thing stayed the same for a long time then changed
rapidly? Slow change! Hope that helps and once again – Good Luck!
GCSE Crime and Punishment
Fullhurst History Department