The nature of law enforcement and punishment Flashcards

All 5 cards in this deck

Who were town watchmen in early modern England?

Unpaid men from the local community who patrolled towns at night, raising the alarm and handing suspects to the parish constable.

True or false? Corporal and capital punishment continued to be used throughout the years c1500–c1700.

True. Punishments such as the stocks, the pillory, whipping and public hanging continued, and were carried out in public to deter others.

Roughly how many crimes carried the death penalty under the Bloody Code by 1688?

About 50; the number of capital crimes grew sharply from the late seventeenth century, intended to deter crime.

What was transportation, and when did it begin?

Sending convicts overseas to work in the colonies; from c1610 criminals were transported to North America and the West Indies, where labour was needed.

What was the role of a town constable in early modern England?

An officer appointed by the town authorities who oversaw the night watchmen and could arrest suspects and bring them before a Justice of the Peace.