The document provides a history of punishments from ancient times through the 18th century. It describes physical punishments used in ancient Israel, Greece, Rome, and other early civilizations including various forms of execution, mutilation, torture, and public humiliation. It then discusses the emergence of incarceration through the establishment of workhouses and the philosophical shift toward imprisoning criminals that led to the development of the modern prison system.
This presentation covers the main pointers to remember while studying the schools of criminology. Compiling together in simple language, I've created a friendly presentation to help you associate the school with its salient features.
*Please open in Microsoft PPT for high definition and best effects :)
Chapter 2 I. History of Corrections Many students wonder.docxcravennichole326
Chapter 2
I. History of Corrections
Many students wonder why they need to know and understand
the “history” of anything before they delve into learning how
things are now. In the field of corrections, understanding the
“History” of corrections means understanding corrections “Now”
and in the “Future”. As in other fields, corrections is a cyclical
field of study, many ideas and issues from the past reemerge
as ideas and issues of the future. Please pay attention to the
evolution of corrections as it emerges in the next two lectures,
you will be amazed at the similarity of ideas, issues and
solutions to those of today.
A. Middle Ages to the American Revolution:
1. Legal Codes and Law – The earliest known (written)
legal codes appear to be the Sumerian Law of
Mesopotamia (3100 B.C.) and the Code of Hammurabi
(1759 B.C.). Both of these codes described criminal
offenses against the people and affixed penalties. The
Draconian Code not only defined crimes and penalties,
but also set up legal procedures for determining guilt
and affixing penalty. The Roman Law of the Twelve
Tables and the Emperor Justinian Code laid the
groundwork for early European law.
2. However, legal sanctions familiar to us today did not
appear in Europe until the Middle Ages. Before that
time, responses to crime were handled privately
between families. Lex talionis (an eye for an eye) and
wergild were common methods of avenging and/or
forgiving crimes between families. The concept of Lex
talionis allowed the family of the victim to seek revenge
against the family of the offender – it was otherwise
known as a “blood feud”, which in many cases went on
for generations after the initial offense. Wergild evolved
as a payment system between the families of the victim
and the offender in which the offender’s family pays a
monetary sum to the victim’s family as atonement for the
crimes of the clan.
3. As societies developed, the concepts of lex talionis and
wergild were rolled over into the emerging legal
systems: Secular Law and Benefit of Clergy. Secular
Law (otherwise known as English common law) was the
law of the common man, usually applied in some form
by the ruling class (landowner, king, conquering entity,
etc.). It encompassed little legal process and embraced
harsh punishments. The legal principal of the time was
that you were “guilty until you proved yourself innocent”.
Torture was used regularly to prompt confessions from
the “guilty”, and there was no legal process through
which you could prove your “innocence”. Benefit of
Clergy (otherwise known as Church law) emerged as a
separate legal system operated within the powers and
protection of the church. Benefit of Clergy
encompassed a legal procedure that allowed both sides
of a criminal case to be presented within the parameters
of the church. The punishments attached to a finding of
guilt were substantially less harsh than those embodied
i ...
This presentation covers the main pointers to remember while studying the schools of criminology. Compiling together in simple language, I've created a friendly presentation to help you associate the school with its salient features.
*Please open in Microsoft PPT for high definition and best effects :)
Chapter 2 I. History of Corrections Many students wonder.docxcravennichole326
Chapter 2
I. History of Corrections
Many students wonder why they need to know and understand
the “history” of anything before they delve into learning how
things are now. In the field of corrections, understanding the
“History” of corrections means understanding corrections “Now”
and in the “Future”. As in other fields, corrections is a cyclical
field of study, many ideas and issues from the past reemerge
as ideas and issues of the future. Please pay attention to the
evolution of corrections as it emerges in the next two lectures,
you will be amazed at the similarity of ideas, issues and
solutions to those of today.
A. Middle Ages to the American Revolution:
1. Legal Codes and Law – The earliest known (written)
legal codes appear to be the Sumerian Law of
Mesopotamia (3100 B.C.) and the Code of Hammurabi
(1759 B.C.). Both of these codes described criminal
offenses against the people and affixed penalties. The
Draconian Code not only defined crimes and penalties,
but also set up legal procedures for determining guilt
and affixing penalty. The Roman Law of the Twelve
Tables and the Emperor Justinian Code laid the
groundwork for early European law.
2. However, legal sanctions familiar to us today did not
appear in Europe until the Middle Ages. Before that
time, responses to crime were handled privately
between families. Lex talionis (an eye for an eye) and
wergild were common methods of avenging and/or
forgiving crimes between families. The concept of Lex
talionis allowed the family of the victim to seek revenge
against the family of the offender – it was otherwise
known as a “blood feud”, which in many cases went on
for generations after the initial offense. Wergild evolved
as a payment system between the families of the victim
and the offender in which the offender’s family pays a
monetary sum to the victim’s family as atonement for the
crimes of the clan.
3. As societies developed, the concepts of lex talionis and
wergild were rolled over into the emerging legal
systems: Secular Law and Benefit of Clergy. Secular
Law (otherwise known as English common law) was the
law of the common man, usually applied in some form
by the ruling class (landowner, king, conquering entity,
etc.). It encompassed little legal process and embraced
harsh punishments. The legal principal of the time was
that you were “guilty until you proved yourself innocent”.
Torture was used regularly to prompt confessions from
the “guilty”, and there was no legal process through
which you could prove your “innocence”. Benefit of
Clergy (otherwise known as Church law) emerged as a
separate legal system operated within the powers and
protection of the church. Benefit of Clergy
encompassed a legal procedure that allowed both sides
of a criminal case to be presented within the parameters
of the church. The punishments attached to a finding of
guilt were substantially less harsh than those embodied
i ...
allowing testimony through closed-circuit television, and allo.docxdaniahendric
allowing testimony through closed-circuit television, and allowing the acceptance of
children’s testimony without corroboration. Finally, they also have been instrumental in
increasing the funding for victim support schemes.
While a good deal of work to assist victims has been carried out by volunteer groups,
it is important to point out that various components of the criminal justice system are making
significant efforts to aid victims. Some of the efforts by the police were outlined in the
section of this chapter devoted to police. In addition, the government has established a
number of magistrates’ courts that specialize in domestic violence cases. These courts are
designed to bring the various components of the justice system—police, Crown prosecutors,
magistrates, probation service, and victim support services—together to facilitate moving
these cases through the system in a more efficient manner. While the rate of convictions
of domestic violence cases has increased in recent years irrespective of the type of court,
the conviction rate in domestic violence courts has reached 71 percent, according to the
Home Office. Presently, there are 98 courts that specialize in domestic violence cases.
In the autumn of 2014, the police and crime commissioners were authorized to
coordinate victim services in their constabularies. Finally, in her 2013–2014 report to the
minister of justice, the Victims Commissioner indicated that there is now “a greater
awareness of crimes, such as, human trafficking, hate crime, forced marriage, modern day
slavery, and female genital mutilation.” As such, people in the victim assistance movement
need to be aware of the expanding needs of society’s victims.
CORRECTIONS
The importance of the juxtaposition of penal theory and the architectural design of
correctional institutions is a notion that emerged in England during the late eighteenth
century. At roughly the same time, police practitioners began in earnest to support
improvements in law enforcement. People were questioning some of the basic assumptions
behind the administration of justice, just as they were questioning many of the established
political, religious, scientific, and social assumptions on which society was based.
Many of these basic tenets had been introduced originally during the Middle Ages, a
period that some have referred to as the Age of Faith. The eighteenth century was a markedly
different period, known by contemporaries as the Enlightenment, the Age of Reason—
espousing a belief that the individual was a free, rational, and equal member of society.
Such notions were obviously at cross-purposes with established custom and authority.
The eighteenth century serves as a useful benchmark for the emergence of the modern
development of English corrections. It was during this time that people consciously and
rationally attempted to study the purposes of and the conditions for incarcerating law
violators. In order to appreciate the contributions o ...
Restraint to Recovery: Asylum to AcceptanceRoger Hawcroft
A "work in progress" presentation relating to the Baillie Henderson Hospital from 1890 to the present day in the context of understanding of mental illness, its historical origins and social factors surrounding it.
from 48 percent to 50 percent; the ability of the police to ad.docxshericehewat
from 48 percent to 50 percent; the ability of the police to address local concerns increased
from 56 percent to 58 percent; and the overall confidence in the local police was up from
69 percent to 72 percent. Finally, 38 percent of the victims of crime in the previous year,
who had contact with the police, were very satisfied with how the police handled the
incident, 32 percent were fairly satisfied, and 30 percent were unsatisfied.
JUDICIARY
Scholars of English legal and constitutional history are generally in agreement that King
Henry II (1133–1189) was the principal facilitator in the development of English common
law and the judicial machinery used to administer it. When Henry became king in 1154,
he wanted to strengthen both his political and economic positions. To assist in achieving
these ends, he synthesized both old and new ideas with regard to centralizing the
administration of justice.
Prior to Henry’s reign, the administration of justice was essentially carried out at the
grassroots level. While there were a number of local courts with varying degrees of
jurisdiction, the shire or county courts were the most significant before the Norman
invasion of 1066. The principal officers of the shire courts were wealthy landowners, the
bishop, and the reeve of the shire (who later would be referred to as the sheriff). Social
rank, rather than knowledge of law, was the criterion used to determine who judged
cases.
Feudalism was firmly established after the Norman invasion. As noted earlier, feudalism
provided social and economic security for people who worked the land for a lord of the
manor. One of the responsibilities of a lord was to administer justice; this was carried out
in the manor court. Lords of the manor were a powerful political force for the king to
consider. It was from this group that Henry II enhanced his political power by wrestling
from them the authority to administer justice. He accomplished this by utilizing several
different strategies.
First, some people had become dissatisfied with the administration of justice at the
manorial level. They wanted the king, who in theory was the source of justice, to decide
their cases. Kings of England had for years relied upon their Curia Regis, or Great Council,
for advice. The Curia Regis counseled the king on domestic, foreign, and military affairs,
and served as a court to settle disputes among powerful lords of the kingdom. It was from
the Curia Regis that Henry created and permanently established three courts at the city of
Westminster. The Court of Exchequer decided questions between the Crown and the
taxpayer. The Court of Common Pleas had original jurisdiction in both civil and criminal
cases between subjects of the king. The Court of King’s Bench had original jurisdiction in
cases between the lords of the realm, as well as appellate jurisdiction for certain cases from
Common Pleas and other local courts.
Second, if subjects could not come to the courts that permanently ...
Coleman A. Dennehy (Dundalk) - Examining the low execution rate at the Irish ...Realsmartmedia
Coleman A. Dennehy (Dundalk)
Examining the low execution rate at the Irish assizes - some tentative explanations at 2023 Tudor and Stuart Ireland Interdisciplinary Conference
2. Ancient Punishments
Documented in:
The writings of ancient Greek orators,
poets, and philosophers.
Ancient Hebrew history: the Bible.
The Roman Twelve Tables, published in
451 B.C.
2-2
3. Ancient Israel
1. In the Old Testament punishments included
banishment, beating, beheading, blinding, branding and
burning, casting down from a high place, crushing,
confiscation of property, crucifixion, cursing, cutting
asunder, drowning, exile, exposure to wild beasts,
finding, flaying, hanging, imprisonment, mutilation,
plucking of the hair, sawing asunder, scourging with
thorns, slavery, slaying by spear or sword, use of the
stocks, stoning, strangulation, stripes, and suffocation.
2. The purpose of physical punishment was primarily
revenge.
2-3
4. Ancient Greece
1. Due to the efforts of poets, playwrights, and
philosophers, the Greek city-states provide the earliest
evidence that public punishment is part of the Western
tradition.
2. Many early crimes were punished by execution,
banishment, or exile.
3. Other punishments in ancient Athens included
“confiscation of property, fines, and the destruction of
the condemned offenders’ houses,” public denunciation,
shaming, imprisonment, and public display of the
offender.
2-4
5. Early Rome
1. The first written laws of Rome were issued in
451 B.C. and called the Twelve Tables.
2. Conviction of some offenses required
payment of compensation, but the most frequent
penalty was death.
3. Different versions of death were given for
different crimes (e.g., arsonists were burned to
death).
2-5
6. Physical Punishments
Flogging (whipping)
The cat-o’-nine-tails, which had nine knotted
cords fastened to a wooden handle.
The Russian knout, which had leather strips
fitted with fish hooks.
Branding
Criminals were branded with a mark or letter
signifying their crimes.
Mutilation
Lex talionis
2-6
7. Physical Punishments - Continued
Instant Death
Beheading, Hanging, Garroting
Frequently reserved for nobility
Lingering Death
Burning alive, breaking on the wheel
Torture
The rack, cording, and using red hot pincers
to pull flesh away.
2-7
8. Physical Punishments - Continued
Exile and Transportation
A 1597 English law authorized the
transportation of convicts to newly
discovered lands.
Public Humiliation
The stocks and the pillory
Confinement
2-8
9. Physical Punishments -
Continued
The Puritans, for example, sometimes
burned witches and unruly slaves; made
wide use of the stocks, the pillory, and the
ducking stool; branded criminal offenders;
and forced women convicted of adultery to
wear “scarlet letters.”
2-9
10. Exile and Transportation
England passed laws to allow prisoners to be housed
aboard hulks.
When this proved impractical, the convict population started to
be shifted to Australia, New South Wales, Norfolk Island, and
Van Diemen’s Land – n/k/a Tasmania
In 1791 France was transporting prisoners to
Madagascar, New Caledonia, the Marquesas Islands,
and French Guiana.
Devil’s Island functioned as a prison until 1951.
As late as 1990, Russia was the last remaining Western
nation to practice “Transportation”.
Exile in Siberia from the early 17th century.
2-10
11. Incarceration
Pieter Spierenburg
Bondage: “any punishment that puts
severe restrictions on the condemned
person’s freedom of action and
movement, including, but not limited to,
imprisonment.”
2-11
12. The House of Correction
(1550 – 1700)
First workhouse in England was called
Bridewell.
At first prisoners in workhouses were paid
for their work.
Became informal repositories for those the
community regarded as “inconvenient”
(e.g., the mentally ill, irresponsible, or
deviant).
2-12
13. The Emergence of the Prison
Two main elements fueled the
development of prisons as we know
them today:
A philosophical shift away from
punishment of the body, toward
punishment of the soul or human spirit;
and
The passage of laws preventing
imprisonment of anyone but criminals.
2-13
14. The Emergence of the Prison
Prisons, as institutions in which convicted
offenders spend time as punishment for
crimes, are relatively modern.
Prisons resulted from growing
intellectualism in Europe and America (the
Age of Enlightenment), and in reaction to
the barbarism of corporal punishment.
2-14
15. William Penn
(1644-1718)
Founder of Pennsylvania
Was confined in the Tower of London for the
crime of promoting the faith.
While imprisoned he wrote No Cross, No Crown.
Influenced the “Great Act” of 1682, through
which the Pennsylvania Quakers reduced capital
offenses to the single crime of premeditated
murder and abolished all corporal punishments.
2-15
16. John Howard
(1726-1790)
Was taken prisoner by pirates on a trip to
Portugal.
Appointed High Sheriff of Bedfordshire in 1773.
Began arguing for the abolishment of spiked collars
and chains.
In his 1777 work The State of the Prisons in
England and Wales he described clean and well-
run institutions in which prisoners were kept
busy doing productive work, as opposed to the
abysmal state of actual English prisons.
2-16
17. Cesare Beccaria
(1738–1794)
Formed the Academy of Fists, a circle of
intellectuals, which took as its purpose the
reform of the criminal justice system.
In his 1764 essay On Crimes and Punishment
he outlined a utilitarian approach; rejected
torture as a form of punishment; rejected ex post
facto laws; argued against the use of secret
accusations; advocated swift punishment for its
deterrent value; and supported punishment
proportional to the offense.
2-17
18. Jeremy Bentham
(1748–1832)
Advocated utilitarianism, the principle that
the highest objective of public policy is the
greatest happiness for the largest number of
people.
His idea that people are motivated by
pleasure and pain and that the proper
amount of punishment can deter crime gave
rise to the “hedonistic calculus.”
Inventor of the panopticon.
2-18
19. Bentham’s Hedonistic Calculus
People by nature choose pleasure and avoid
pain.
Each individual calculates the degree of
pleasure or pain to be derived from a given
course of action.
Lawmakers can determine the degree of
punishment necessary to deter criminal
behavior.
Such punishment can be effective and rationally
built into a system of criminal sentencing.
2-19
20. Sir Samuel Romilly
(1757–1818)
Entered Parliament in 1806.
Fought to “get the gentleness of the English
character expressed in its laws” through
reduction of the number of capital crimes under
English law.
His work inspired others to recognize the need
for alternatives to capital punishment as a
means of dealing with the majority of criminal
offenders.
2-20
21. Sir Robert Peel
(1788–1850)
British Parliamentary leader.
Strongly influenced by Sir Samuel Romilly and Jeremy
Bentham
Influenced the development of policing worldwide
through the organizational structure he employed in
establishing the London Metropolitan Police Force.
Identified the fundamental functions of policing as the
investigation of crime and the apprehension of criminals.
Punishment, he said, should not be imposed by the
police, but by specialists in the field of penology.
Gaol Act of 1823 separated male and female prisoners,
and mandated female prisoner supervision by females.
2-21
22. Elizabeth Fry
(1780–1845)
Motivated by strong Quaker faith to “expose the
plight of women in prison” and fight for better
conditions.
Believed women prisoners were more likely than
men to change, and saw appeals “to the heart”
as a promising approach for achieving
rehabilitation.
2-22
23. Mary Belle Harris
(1874–1957)
First warden of the Federal Institution for
Women in Alderson, West Virginia, she
advocated correctional reforms and supported
the reformation ideal.
Harris argued in favor of reformation, not
punishment, as the primary focus of most
correctional institutions/programs.
2-23
24. Sanford Bates
Bates was the first director of the Federal
Bureau of Prisons (BOP).
Bates wrote that “the perplexing problem
confronting the prison administrator of today is
how to devise a prison so as to preserve its role
of a punitive agency and still reform the
individuals who have been sent there.”
Bates believed in rehabilitation and in the value
of inmate labor.
2-24
25. George Beto
Former director of Texas Department of
Corrections, he believed in the goal of
rehabilitation.
Beto drew special attention to the importance
of preparing inmates for release back into
society.
Best known for developing the “Texas Control
Model”, strict rule enforcement designed to
foster discipline.
2-25