Factors and change
The three factors
The specification asks you to explain change and continuity using three :
- Attitudes in society: what people believed about crime, punishment and the role of the community.
- : people such as Peel and Fry, and institutions such as the Church and government.
- Science and technology: from printing and firearms to fingerprints, DNA and the internet.
Factors often work together. For example, the Metropolitan Police (1829) needed an individual (Peel), the government (an Act of Parliament), and changing attitudes, before it was accepted.
Key terms
A factors grid
| Period | Attitudes | Individuals and institutions | Science and technology |
|---|---|---|---|
| c1000–c1500 | Community responsible; belief in God's judgement | Kings' laws; the Church's courts | Little effect |
| c1500–c1700 | Fear of vagabonds and witches | Monarchs and the Reformation; Hopkins | Printing spread ideas |
| c1700–c1900 | Growing belief in reform | Fielding, Peel, Howard, Fry; Parliament | Faster transport; telegraph |
| c1900–present | Rejection of the death penalty; concern about race and drugs | Government laws; specialist police | Fingerprints, DNA, CCTV, computers |
Key terms
Turning points
A is a moment after which things changed significantly.
| Period | Turning point | Why |
|---|---|---|
| c1000–c1500 | 1215: the end of trial by ordeal | Led to trial by jury |
| c1500–c1700 | The Reformation | Made heresy and treason major crimes |
| c1700–c1900 | 1829: the Metropolitan Police | Began professional policing |
| c1900–present | 1965–69: the abolition of the death penalty | Ended capital punishment for murder |
Historians may choose different turning points. Be ready to justify yours.
Key terms
Change and continuity across the whole period
Continuity:
- Most crime has always been petty theft.
- The community has always helped enforce the law: tithings, the hue and cry, and Neighbourhood Watch.
- has always been one aim of punishment.
Change:
- From community law enforcement to professional police.
- From public, physical punishments to prison and non-custodial sentences.
- Growing emphasis on reforming offenders.
- New crimes created by new technology and changing attitudes.
Remember
Three factors: Attitudes, Individuals and institutions, Science and technology.