The Code Of Hammurabi: A Very Brief History Of Punishment
Purpose and History Paper
Richard A. L. Reynolds
CJA 234
June 20, 2014
Shantrice Murphy
History of punishment
The Code of Ur-Nammu assumed an understanding that the law descended from the gods, and the king or ruler was the administrator of the law on the part of the people. Under this code, severe penalties were considered to be unnecessary for the majority of crimes. Since people believed to know how they should behave towards each other, monetary fines served as a reminder of how to behave (Mark, 2014).
The structure of the Code of Hammurabi is very particular, with each offense having a distinct discipline. The punishments tended to be extremely critical compared to today 's modern day standards, many of the offenses resulted …show more content…
The colonists did however use jails, copying the English system of gallows, in order to hold defendants who were awaiting trial or for those already convicted and were awaiting their corporal or capital punishment. These jails had deplorable conditions. Poor men, women, and children were all housed together, with very little food or sanitary conditions. Offenders who could afford it paid a fee in order to avoid jail; this early bail system enabled the rich to pay a fee in order to be released. The conditions in both the English and colonial jails during the 1600s and 1700s were so deplorable that few doubted the need for reform (Richard P. Seiter, …show more content…
Barnes and Teeters describe the enforcement of the system through lockstep marching with eyes downcast, hard work and activity while outside cells, and prohibitions of inmates even being face to face. After the operation of Auburn was copied at Sing Sing prison in New York, as well as at prisons in other states, the Auburn system was recognized as better than the Pennsylvania system. The prisons were cheaper to build and operate, the congregate style allowed production of goods and more income for the state, and fewer prisoners developed mental health problems. Other prisons being built across the country adopted the Auburn system. The operation of prisons for sentenced offenders received international attention, and many countries sent representatives to examine the operation of both the Pennsylvania-style and Auburn-style prisons. Although the Pennsylvania style of prisons was seldom favored in the United States, most international visitors found advantages in both, and many preferred the Pennsylvania system because of its effort to avoid contamination among prisoners. During the first half of the nineteenth century, the Auburn style of silence, hard work, separation at night, congregation during the day to maximize production of goods, and strict control was the method used for most American
Richard A. L. Reynolds
CJA 234
June 20, 2014
Shantrice Murphy
History of punishment
The Code of Ur-Nammu assumed an understanding that the law descended from the gods, and the king or ruler was the administrator of the law on the part of the people. Under this code, severe penalties were considered to be unnecessary for the majority of crimes. Since people believed to know how they should behave towards each other, monetary fines served as a reminder of how to behave (Mark, 2014).
The structure of the Code of Hammurabi is very particular, with each offense having a distinct discipline. The punishments tended to be extremely critical compared to today 's modern day standards, many of the offenses resulted …show more content…
The colonists did however use jails, copying the English system of gallows, in order to hold defendants who were awaiting trial or for those already convicted and were awaiting their corporal or capital punishment. These jails had deplorable conditions. Poor men, women, and children were all housed together, with very little food or sanitary conditions. Offenders who could afford it paid a fee in order to avoid jail; this early bail system enabled the rich to pay a fee in order to be released. The conditions in both the English and colonial jails during the 1600s and 1700s were so deplorable that few doubted the need for reform (Richard P. Seiter, …show more content…
Barnes and Teeters describe the enforcement of the system through lockstep marching with eyes downcast, hard work and activity while outside cells, and prohibitions of inmates even being face to face. After the operation of Auburn was copied at Sing Sing prison in New York, as well as at prisons in other states, the Auburn system was recognized as better than the Pennsylvania system. The prisons were cheaper to build and operate, the congregate style allowed production of goods and more income for the state, and fewer prisoners developed mental health problems. Other prisons being built across the country adopted the Auburn system. The operation of prisons for sentenced offenders received international attention, and many countries sent representatives to examine the operation of both the Pennsylvania-style and Auburn-style prisons. Although the Pennsylvania style of prisons was seldom favored in the United States, most international visitors found advantages in both, and many preferred the Pennsylvania system because of its effort to avoid contamination among prisoners. During the first half of the nineteenth century, the Auburn style of silence, hard work, separation at night, congregation during the day to maximize production of goods, and strict control was the method used for most American