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Victorian Crime and Punishment
HomePrisoner case studiesPrisoners19th Century JusticeTeachers Area
Arresting a suspect Catching the Criminal
Witnesses, Lawyers and Juries
The Courts A person on trial today will have been arrested and charged by the police. Then the public prosecution service will have decided to bring the case to court. The accused will have access to a defence lawyer and legal advice. Life was very different...
A Gaol Gaols
During the 19th century, gaols' buildings and daily life changed dramatically to reflect the beliefs of the time. Prison regimes came to be based on the concepts of separation, silence, hard labour and moral guidance.
The Courts and Judiciary
A judge In the early nineteenth century, court conditions and the treatment of both the victim and the accused was very different from today. Trials in court were often very quick. Prosecutors, judges and jurors had more power and choice than they do...
The Gallows
Sentences and Punishments

Transportation was an alternative punishment to hanging. Convicted criminals were transported to the colonies to serve their prison sentences. It had the advantages of removing the criminal from society and being quite cheap - the state only had to...
Crime, Poverty and Reforms
At the end of the 18th century it was not just crime that was increasing but also poverty. The industrial revolution made many people rich but for many poor families (both in rural and urban areas) life was the worst it had been for a long time.