Beginning in 1166, Henry II began building jails including the Newgate Prison in London. During this time, courts were established along with the first legal textbook which became the precursor to Common Law (Timeline: Prisons in England, 2006). Furthermore, the modern jury was set up with twelve men to adjudicate regarding land disputes (Timeline: Prisons in England, 2006). Later, in 1215, the Magna Carta was signed by King John which marked the beginning of English judicial rights, which states that no man can be imprisoned without a trial by his/her peers (Timeline: Prisons in England, 2006). Then in the 1300s, those who refused trial by jury were merely placed in prison, which conditions were primitive (Timeline: Prisons in England,
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Magistrates made decisions regarding the release of the poor that were locked up and punished for laziness (Timeline: Prisons in England, 2006). Inmate numbers continued to soar and pardons were often offered if a criminal joined the Army or Navy (Timeline: Prisons in England, 2006). By the 1700s, England’s prisons were over-crowded. In response to overcrowding, prisoners were transported to Australia as a form of humane punishment versus execution, resulting in forming the basis of the population of the country (Timeline: Prisons in England, …show more content…
Consequently, Fry founded prison schools and persuaded Home Secretary Sir Robert Peel to introduce prison reforms (Timeline: Prisons in England, 2006). Later prison reforms brought about paid jailers, and prison inspectors, eventually resulting in salaried prison staff and the appointed of staff based on merit (Timeline: Prisons in England, 2006). The Prison Act (1877) brought local prisons under the control of the central government and created a Board of Prison Commissioners, including Sir Edmund Du Cane (Terrill, 2015). Finally, in 1879 John Howard adopted reforms that resulted in the shift of emphasis from prisons being a place of punishment to reform (Timeline: Prisons in England, 2006). Ideas such as “decarceration”, replacing sentences with supervision within the community, and “therapeutic incarceration”, that reduced the punishment element in prison, were introduced (Timeline: Prisons in England,
Magistrates made decisions regarding the release of the poor that were locked up and punished for laziness (Timeline: Prisons in England, 2006). Inmate numbers continued to soar and pardons were often offered if a criminal joined the Army or Navy (Timeline: Prisons in England, 2006). By the 1700s, England’s prisons were over-crowded. In response to overcrowding, prisoners were transported to Australia as a form of humane punishment versus execution, resulting in forming the basis of the population of the country (Timeline: Prisons in England, …show more content…
Consequently, Fry founded prison schools and persuaded Home Secretary Sir Robert Peel to introduce prison reforms (Timeline: Prisons in England, 2006). Later prison reforms brought about paid jailers, and prison inspectors, eventually resulting in salaried prison staff and the appointed of staff based on merit (Timeline: Prisons in England, 2006). The Prison Act (1877) brought local prisons under the control of the central government and created a Board of Prison Commissioners, including Sir Edmund Du Cane (Terrill, 2015). Finally, in 1879 John Howard adopted reforms that resulted in the shift of emphasis from prisons being a place of punishment to reform (Timeline: Prisons in England, 2006). Ideas such as “decarceration”, replacing sentences with supervision within the community, and “therapeutic incarceration”, that reduced the punishment element in prison, were introduced (Timeline: Prisons in England,