The Victorian Justice System

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  • The Victorian Justice System
    • The Justice System
      • Catching the criminal
        • Most prosecutions were not carried out by the police
          • they were mostly started by private citizens
      • The Courts and Judiciary
        • Trials in court were often very quick
        • Prosecutors, judges and jurors had more power and choice
      • Witnesses, Lawyers and Juries
        • It was rare for the accused to have a defence lawyer
        • In a capital case prosecutors, judges, and jurors had lots of flexibility in how they interpreted the law
        • The prosecutor and the defendant were not entitled to any form of legal aid
          • The average prisoner didn't get any legal help because it cost too much
        • Evidence of previous convictions was heard before sentence was passed.
      • The industrial revolution made life the worst it had been for a long time. The crime rate increased rapidly with more theft, rioting and public disturbances.
    • Prison Ships
      • 'Hulks'
        • Old sailing ships at south coast harbours or on the Thames at Woolwich
        • Two thirds of all prisoners were on the hulks
        • The rise in crime caused a shortage of prisons, so the hulks were used to hold prisoners
          • The Hulks were sent to Australia.
        • Originally used as holding prisons for people waiting to be transported
        • During outbreaks of cholera, large numbers of prisoners died because of the conditions and water taken from the polluted Thames was used for everything
        • Prisoners were chained to their bunks at night to stop them from slipping

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