How did crime and punishment change in the industrial period, c.1700 to 1900?
Crime and punishment in the industrial period c.1700 to 1900: the Bloody Code and its decline, the end of public execution and the rise of the prison (Pentonville and reformers such as Elizabeth Fry), transportation to Australia, and the creation of the first professional police force, the Metropolitan Police of 1829.
A focused answer on the industrial-period section of the WJEC Crime and Punishment thematic study, covering the Bloody Code and its decline, the rise of the prison and reformers, transportation to Australia, and the creation of the Metropolitan Police in 1829.
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What this dot point is asking
This dot point covers the industrial period of WJEC's Unit 3 thematic study, c.1700 to 1900. You need to explain the Bloody Code and its decline, the end of public execution and the rise of the prison (Pentonville and reformers such as Elizabeth Fry), transportation to Australia, and the creation of the first professional police force, the Metropolitan Police of 1829. As a thematic study, focus on change in this period of rapid reform.
The Bloody Code and its decline
The rise of the prison
Transportation to Australia
The Metropolitan Police of 1829
Try this
Q1. What was the Bloody Code? [Knowledge recall]
- Cue. A system in the 1700s where over 200 crimes, even minor theft, carried the death penalty, in the belief that the fear of hanging would deter crime, though it was applied unevenly and declined in the nineteenth century.
Q2. Explain one reason the Metropolitan Police was created in 1829. [Short explanation]
- Cue. Industrialisation and the growth of towns increased crime and disorder that the old amateur system of constables and watchmen could not cope with, so Robert Peel created a professional, preventive force by the Act of 1829.
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of WJEC exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
WJEC Wales (Unit 3)4 marksDescribe two features of the Bloody Code.Show worked answer →
The thematic-study describe question (AO1). Reward two distinct, developed features, each with one supporting detail.
Feature one. By the 1700s over 200 crimes carried the death penalty, including minor theft, in the belief that the fear of hanging would deter crime.
Feature two. In practice, many juries refused to convict for minor crimes, and judges often reduced sentences or recommended transportation, so the Code was applied less harshly than it looked.
Top marks. Two distinct features, each developed with precise detail.
WJEC Wales (Unit 3)8 marksExplain why the first professional police force was created in 1829.Show worked answer →
The thematic-study explain question (AO1 and AO2). Reward a developed analysis of reasons, each with precise support.
Reason one. Industrialisation and the growth of towns increased crime and disorder, and the old amateur system of constables and watchmen could not cope.
Reason two. Fear of riots and unrest in the early nineteenth century made the government want a more reliable means of keeping order.
Reason three. Reformers such as Robert Peel argued for a professional, preventive force, leading to the Metropolitan Police Act of 1829 and the "Peelers" or "Bobbies".
Top band. Connect each reason to why the police were created, and judge which mattered most.
Related dot points
- The new crimes of the early modern period (vagabondage, witchcraft, smuggling and heresy), the continuing reliance on amateur law enforcement, the harsher and more public punishments, and the influence of religion and economic change, c.1500 to 1700.
A focused answer on the early modern section of the WJEC Crime and Punishment thematic study, covering new crimes (vagabondage, witchcraft, smuggling, heresy), amateur law enforcement, harsher public punishments, and the influence of religion and economic change.
- Crime and punishment in the modern period c.1900 to present: new crimes (cybercrime, terrorism, hate crime, driving offences), the abolition of the death penalty in 1965, the move towards rehabilitation and alternatives to prison, and the modernisation of policing with science and technology.
A focused answer on the modern section of the WJEC Crime and Punishment thematic study, covering new crimes such as cybercrime and terrorism, the abolition of the death penalty in 1965, the move towards rehabilitation, and the modernisation of policing.
- The long-term change and continuity in law enforcement (from amateur constables and the watch, to the 1829 Metropolitan Police, to modern scientific policing) and in the purpose of punishment (from deterrence and retribution, through prison, to rehabilitation), and the factors that drove change.
A focused answer on the long-term change and continuity in law enforcement and the purpose of punishment across the whole WJEC Crime and Punishment study, and the factors (such as religion, government, attitudes and technology) that drove change.
- The Welsh perspective on crime and punishment: the Rebecca Riots of the 1840s as a Welsh protest crime, the Merthyr Rising of 1831 and Dic Penderyn, the impact of poverty and industry on crime in Wales, and how the Welsh context illustrates the wider themes of change and continuity.
A focused answer on the Welsh perspective in the WJEC Crime and Punishment thematic study, covering the Rebecca Riots, the Merthyr Rising and Dic Penderyn, and how the Welsh context illustrates the wider themes of change and continuity.
Sources & how we know this
- WJEC GCSE History (Wales) specification (3100) — WJEC (2017)