History of crime and punishment
In Victorian times it was normal to jail people for being drunk or swearing in public. Parents convicted of having illegitimate children were often sentenced to hard labour. People who went bankrupt could be sent to special debtors' prisons.
Old-fashioned concepts of criminal justice were very different from those of today. Back in the Middle Ages there were witch-hunts throughout East Anglia, leading to countless executions and widespread panic.
Even as late as the 19th Century it was common to hang people for all sorts of crimes, ranging from housebreaking to pick-pocketing. Youngsters convicted of relatively minor offences - such as stealing fruit - were often flogged and jailed.
Image courtesy of Cambridgeshire County Council.
Cattle rustling or handling stolen goods could earn you a trip to Australia - but conditions were far from idyllic. Before embarking on journeys to the other side of the world, most prisoners were kept in hulks - floating prisons on naval ships, notorious for their harsh conditions and disease. Convicts were put to hard labour in the day and chained to their bunks at night. They could be whipped or put in irons for the slightest misdemeanor.
There was strict discipline on board the transportation ships: prisoners were lashed for minor disobedience and could be chained below deck for most of their time at sea. Many died from disease before reaching Australia. Those that survived were often put to hard labour in chain gangs.
Today's Criminal Justice System is very different from that of yesteryear. Lawbreakers are still made accountable for their actions - but they're treated with humanity, punished proportionately for the crimes they've committed and given the chance to reform.
In this section we'll explore the history of crime and punishment in Cambridgeshire.
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