Five Factors of Change — "CAGIT"
Changing attitudes (Enlightenment, humanitarianism)
Action by government (Peel, Murder Act 1965)
Growth of cities (industrial revolution, new institutions needed)
Individuals (Howard, Fry, Peel, Romilly)
Technology (fingerprints, DNA, CCTV)
Key Dates to Know Cold
| Date | What |
|---|---|
| 1215 | Church bans trial by ordeal |
| c.1688-1820 | Bloody Code (220+ capital offences) |
| 1777 | Howard — State of the Prisons |
| 1829 | Peel's Metropolitan Police |
| 1842 | Pentonville Prison (separate system) |
| 1868 | Last public hanging; end of transportation |
| 1965 | Death penalty abolished |
| 1986 | First DNA evidence used |
Purposes of Punishment — "RED"
Retribution — punishment as deserved suffering (medieval, Bloody Code)
Education/Reformation — changing the offender (Victorian prison reform, modern rehabilitation)
Deterrence — frightening others from committing crime (Bloody Code's stated aim, public hangings)
Also: Protection of the public (keeping dangerous people away from society) and Reparation (making good the harm done — modern community service).
This memory aid covers Memory Aids within Crime and Punishment, c.1250-present for GCSE History. Revise Crime and Punishment, c.1250-present in Component Group 1 — Thematic Studies for GCSE History with 14 exam-style questions and 17 flashcards. This topic shows up very often in GCSE exams, so students should be able to explain it clearly, not just recognise the term. It is section 13 of 16 in this topic. Use it for quick recall, then test yourself straight afterwards so the memory aid becomes usable in an answer.
Practice questions for Crime and Punishment, c.1250-present
Describe two features of law enforcement in medieval England.
Describe two features of punishments under the Bloody Code.