How have crime and punishment changed from 1900 to the present day?
The new crimes of the modern era (cybercrime, motoring and terrorism), the transformation of policing by science and technology, the abolition of the death penalty in 1965, and the shift towards rehabilitation and alternatives to prison.
A focused answer to the modern section of the Eduqas Crime and Punishment thematic study, covering new crimes (cybercrime, motoring, terrorism), the transformation of policing by science and technology, the abolition of the death penalty in 1965, and the shift towards rehabilitation.
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What this dot point is asking
This dot point covers the modern era of Eduqas's Component 2 thematic study. You need to explain the new crimes of the period (cybercrime, motoring and terrorism), the transformation of policing by science and technology, the abolition of the death penalty in 1965, and the shift towards rehabilitation and alternatives to prison. As a thematic study, focus on change and continuity: what is genuinely new since 1900, and what has stayed the same.
The new crimes of the modern era
The transformation of policing
The abolition of the death penalty
Rehabilitation and alternatives to prison
Try this
Q1. Name two ways science has changed policing since 1900. [Knowledge recall]
- Cue. Fingerprinting (from 1901) and DNA profiling (from the 1980s), which let police identify suspects from traces at a crime scene; also CCTV, computers and radios.
Q2. Explain why the death penalty was abolished in 1965. [Short explanation]
- Cue. Miscarriages of justice (such as the Evans and Bentley cases) suggested innocent people had been hanged, attitudes turned against execution as cruel and ineffective, and campaigners such as Silverman pressed the case, so it was suspended in 1965 and abolished in 1969.
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of WJEC Eduqas exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
Eduqas C100 20184 marksDescribe two ways science and technology have changed policing since 1900.Show worked answer →
The thematic-study describe question (4 marks, AO1). Reward two distinct, developed ways, each with one supporting detail.
Way one. Forensic science transformed detection: fingerprinting was used from 1901, and DNA profiling from the 1980s allowed police to identify suspects from tiny biological traces left at a crime scene.
Way two. Communications and surveillance technology changed policing: cars, radios, computers and CCTV let police respond faster, share information and monitor public spaces, though some worry about privacy.
Top marks. Two distinct ways, each developed with precise detail.
Eduqas C100 20218 marksExplain why the death penalty was abolished in Britain in 1965.Show worked answer →
The thematic-study "explain why" question (8 marks, AO1 and AO2). Reward a developed analysis of two or three reasons, each with precise support.
Reason one. Notorious miscarriages of justice, such as the cases of Timothy Evans and Derek Bentley, suggested innocent people had been hanged, which undermined confidence in capital punishment.
Reason two. Attitudes changed: many came to see execution as cruel, and to doubt that it deterred crime any better than long imprisonment, reflecting a broader move towards more humane punishment.
Reason three. Campaigners and reforming politicians (such as Sydney Silverman) pressed the case in Parliament, and the death penalty for murder was suspended in 1965 and permanently abolished in 1969.
Top band. Connect each reason explicitly to abolition, and finish with the most important factor.
Related dot points
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- The long-term patterns of change and continuity in law enforcement and punishment across the whole period, the factors that drove change (attitudes and religion, government, individuals, science and technology, and social and economic change), and how to compare across time.
A focused answer to change, continuity and the factors of change in the Eduqas Crime and Punishment thematic study, covering the long-term patterns in policing and punishment, the key factors driving change, and how to compare across the whole period.
- What the historic environment is and how it fits the thematic study, how a specific site illustrates crime and punishment, how to use physical features and specialist terminology, and how to answer the source and site questions on the paper.
A focused answer to the historic environment in the Eduqas Crime and Punishment thematic study, covering what it is, how a site illustrates crime and punishment, the use of physical features and specialist terminology, and how to answer the site and source questions.
Sources & how we know this
- WJEC Eduqas GCSE History (C100) specification — WJEC Eduqas (2016)