The Role Of Torture In The 18th Century
Christine Boachie
Mr. Mezzatesta
CHY4U
May 14, 2014
Renaissance and Revolution: 18th Century Torture
In the 18th century law enforcement was significantly different from modern day crime detection and prevention. Unlike today’s society many people were left to fend for themselves and when it came to crime the prosecution of others was left in the hands of the victims themselves. In that day and age it was all too easy for criminals to flee from a crime un accused and unpunished seeing as there was no major arm of law present to further investigate certain crimes or follow up on possible suspects, as a result when an individual was caught for a crime or under suspicion they were tortured as a means to obtain a confession. …show more content…
Torture existed well before the eighteenth century; the Greeks and Egyptians also used torture as means of obtaining a confession however torture for the purpose of interrogation was usually conducted in private it was hidden because they were aware of the social and political implications that followed. As Roman law adapted torture became part of the official justice system of the 18th century, a system where the accused we tried, tortured and executed in public so that everyone was aware of the punishment that would follow crime. Torture was at its peak during the inquisition period where heretics were persecuted and tortured if they refused to change their religion or admit they were not Roman Catholic. It was this period, which were called “the witch trials” that reintroduced torture to Europe. Slaves and others of lower class were also falsely accused and tortured for petty crimes for example theft of goods worth less than a shilling; in this case the individual would suffer being stretched on the rack, a public whipping or exposure in the …show more content…
Torture was used since the beginning of civilization and then adapted by 18th century Romans however they changed the practice in to something more horrific than it originally was. Much like the conclusions that Beccaria and Voltaire had already come to in the 18th century torture destroys lives and no matter the reason should be unacceptable in any case. Regardless of whether or not torture satisfies the immediate requirement of extracting information from a prisoner, the act of torturing the prisoner does not occur in isolation. The act’s repercussions reach far beyond the torture chamber, into the future well-being of the victim, the mental health and stability of the interrogator, and the dynamics of the victim’s society.
Works Cited
Brians, P. (1998, Dec 23). Voltaire: a Treatise on Toleration. Retrieved May 14, 2014, from public.wsu.edu.com:http://public.wsu.edu/~brians/worldcivreader/world_civ_reader_2/Voltaire.html
Halsall, P. (1977, Aug 1). Cesare Beccaria: An Essay on Crimes and Punishment. Retrieved May 13, 2014, from fordham.edu.com: http://www.fordham.edu/
Mr. Mezzatesta
CHY4U
May 14, 2014
Renaissance and Revolution: 18th Century Torture
In the 18th century law enforcement was significantly different from modern day crime detection and prevention. Unlike today’s society many people were left to fend for themselves and when it came to crime the prosecution of others was left in the hands of the victims themselves. In that day and age it was all too easy for criminals to flee from a crime un accused and unpunished seeing as there was no major arm of law present to further investigate certain crimes or follow up on possible suspects, as a result when an individual was caught for a crime or under suspicion they were tortured as a means to obtain a confession. …show more content…
Torture existed well before the eighteenth century; the Greeks and Egyptians also used torture as means of obtaining a confession however torture for the purpose of interrogation was usually conducted in private it was hidden because they were aware of the social and political implications that followed. As Roman law adapted torture became part of the official justice system of the 18th century, a system where the accused we tried, tortured and executed in public so that everyone was aware of the punishment that would follow crime. Torture was at its peak during the inquisition period where heretics were persecuted and tortured if they refused to change their religion or admit they were not Roman Catholic. It was this period, which were called “the witch trials” that reintroduced torture to Europe. Slaves and others of lower class were also falsely accused and tortured for petty crimes for example theft of goods worth less than a shilling; in this case the individual would suffer being stretched on the rack, a public whipping or exposure in the …show more content…
Torture was used since the beginning of civilization and then adapted by 18th century Romans however they changed the practice in to something more horrific than it originally was. Much like the conclusions that Beccaria and Voltaire had already come to in the 18th century torture destroys lives and no matter the reason should be unacceptable in any case. Regardless of whether or not torture satisfies the immediate requirement of extracting information from a prisoner, the act of torturing the prisoner does not occur in isolation. The act’s repercussions reach far beyond the torture chamber, into the future well-being of the victim, the mental health and stability of the interrogator, and the dynamics of the victim’s society.
Works Cited
Brians, P. (1998, Dec 23). Voltaire: a Treatise on Toleration. Retrieved May 14, 2014, from public.wsu.edu.com:http://public.wsu.edu/~brians/worldcivreader/world_civ_reader_2/Voltaire.html
Halsall, P. (1977, Aug 1). Cesare Beccaria: An Essay on Crimes and Punishment. Retrieved May 13, 2014, from fordham.edu.com: http://www.fordham.edu/