Punishment For Crimes In 1800's England

Imagine this: A man walks into the courtroom in 1800’s London. His crime: stealing his neighbor’s chicken. As he waits for the judge to appear, his mind starts to wander. He ponders his possible punishments. The punishments for crimes in 1800’s England were very diverse. One could be sent to various prisons, sent to a penal colony, or even imprisoned on an immobile ship. Laws and their corresponding punishments may seem extreme to people in the present day, yet in this time period it was completely typical. Following the legal procedure of the time, to be punished for a particular crime one would first have to commit a crime. Since little information about these two hundred year old laws is available, many sources have focused on the evolution

Punishments ranged from fines to the death penalty. Criminals were sentenced to community service which most famously included dredging the River Thames. Often times criminals were sentenced to time in prison. There were many types of prisons in 1800’s England. A citizen in debt could be sent to a debtor’s prison. Criminals could also be sent to a penal colony or prison colony like the American Colonies or New South Wales (Australia). When prisons were full, many criminals were put in prison hulks. These were floating ships that held the prisoners. There were so many prisoners that Parliament passed over 30 acts that discharged certain criminals in order to stop overcrowding. (Parliament Living Heritage). There were many famous prisons over time in England as

In an effort to quickly overcome this problem, England came up with a simple solution: old ships that would house prisoners. Instead of taking up land space, these “prison hulks” would float on the water. Prison hulks had conditions almost as worse as Newgate. Gaol Fever, a form of typhus spread by rodents, was common within the first weeks of the usage of hulks (Port Cities). Inmates on the hulks were given little to no medical attention and were not separated from the healthy. Prisoners were required to wear a leg iron and any attempt to remove it could result in a whipping by the “Cat o’Nine Tails.” Sometimes, prisoners were put in the Black Hole of the ship, an equivalent to solitary confinement. Prisoners in prison hulks were often being transported to prison