How did law enforcement and the purpose of punishment change across the whole period?
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.
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What this dot point is asking
This dot point is the synthesis of WJEC's Unit 3 thematic study: 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. This is the overview that the extended essay rewards.
Continuity in early law enforcement
The great change: the professional police
The changing purpose of punishment
The factors driving change
Try this
Q1. Name four factors that drove change in crime and punishment. [Knowledge recall]
- Cue. Religion (early crimes and attitudes), government (laws, police and prisons), reformers and changing social attitudes, and science and technology (modern policing and detection).
Q2. Explain how the purpose of punishment changed across the whole period. [Short explanation]
- Cue. It moved from deterrence and retribution through public, physical penalties such as the Bloody Code, towards reform and rehabilitation through the prison, ending public execution in 1868 and the death penalty in 1965.
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)6 marksExplain why the purpose of punishment changed over time.Show worked answer →
A thematic change question (AO2). Reward analysis of the factors driving change in the purpose of punishment, with support across the period.
Early aims. For centuries, punishment aimed at deterrence and retribution, through public, physical penalties such as hanging, the stocks and the Bloody Code.
The shift to reform. Changing attitudes, reformers and the rise of the prison shifted the aim towards reform and rehabilitation, ending public execution and, in 1965, the death penalty.
The drivers. Religion, government action, the ideas of reformers, and changing social attitudes all drove the change.
Top marks. Link the factors to the changing purpose of punishment across the whole period.
WJEC Wales (Unit 3)16 marksHow far did law enforcement change between c.1500 and the present day?Show worked answer →
The extended thematic essay (AO2), which carries the SPaG marks. Reward a balanced argument with a supported judgement.
The case for change. Law enforcement was transformed: from amateur constables and the watch, to the professional Metropolitan Police of 1829, to modern scientific policing with DNA and CCTV.
The case for continuity. For centuries there was striking continuity in amateur policing, and even today the police rely on the public and on local knowledge.
The drivers. Industrialisation, the growth of towns, fear of disorder, government action and technology drove the change.
Top band. Weigh change against continuity across the whole period and reach a clear, supported judgement, writing accurately for SPaG.
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 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.
- 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 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)