How were Victorians punished?

Sentences and Punishments. Prison. Victorian gaol. Although the Victorians firmly believed in punishing criminals, they faced a problem: what should the punishment be? One attempt to stop the ... There were fewer hangings, and sentences for petty crime were getting lighter. In their place, other ideas were being tried out. read more

One attempt to stop the growth of crime had been through making punishments severe (hanging or transportation). read more

In Britain at the start of her reign, criminals would be fined, put in stocks, sent to prison, transported to Australia, or hanged. What they got depended on the severity of the crime and if they had a history of criminality. read more

And we were not disappointed. The museum seems to cover mostly the Victorian era to the 1970’s. I felt that the museum curators did a good job of showing the pros and cons (sorry – couldn’t help myself) of the correctional system. read more