Crime And Punishment In Colonial America

Crime and Punishment in Colonial America
In Colonial America, crime and punishment were a new idea that was just starting to be formed. During this time, they had a different set of rules and regulations that had to be followed in their towns and states. For each town, or even state, they had their own rules to follow, based on the men in charge during this time. Colonial America had forms of punishments that would not be allowed during this day and age because they would be considered inhumane and unlawful. While it was often considered a more simple time, it is amazing what was thought of as punishment for a crime and one could also draw the conclusion that the more horrific the punishment, the more of a deterrent it would be for the next …show more content…
Just like today, you could be held in front of a judge and they would decide your punishment, right then and there. Usually it would just be the judge that would decide your fate. The punishment they choose the most and the one that is most known was usually death. Either by hanging or slaughtering, they got the job done somehow. Like crimes, punishments were different between genders. Women convicts were often treated differently from men, with accusations of witchcraft particularly popular during certain eras, in both England and America. However, women were not spared capital punishment or transportation and forced labor. Most punishments for women were more about shaming. They wanted women to feel bad or even guilty about what they have committed. Some examples of their punishments for men and women would be stocks, pillory, whipping post, ducking stool, fines, and bind outs . Stocks were a small wooden device with foot holes. A seated person’s ankles were locked in while his/her legs were held straight out. Like the stocks, the pillory was wooden, it had holes for a person’s head and hands. What made this worse than the stocks is because the criminal had to stand the whole time. It was common for people watching to throw rotten food or even rocks at the criminal, making the punishment worse for them. The whipping post was where criminals were usually put …show more content…
During this time, they had a different set of rules and regulations that had to be followed in their towns and states. For each town, or even state, they had their own rules to follow, based on the men in charge during this time. You were expected to know all the rules and regulations in the town where you lived and if you were to travel. With all the harsh punishments and the unlawful crimes, they were just trying to perfect their new society and almost “rolling with the punches.” Throughout our time we have been trying to my our society just and right, which is why we keep adding to it and keep trying to make it better and better. One could argue whether morality or ethics could change with the passing of time. One thing that is clear with the passing of time is our concern for individual rights has improved. The way we are judged and given a trial with representation is designed to protect the innocent unless proven guilty. Science has emerged to also be a valuable tool in the proving of innocence or guilt. My initial thought of the proceedings of the day was that it was almost barbaric and why didn’t they consider being more modern in the way that they looked at the evidence. I then remembered that cases that were convicted only a few years ago have been reopened in modern days due to new advances in science or discovery of mistakes made in