Justice Learning outcome: To explain how criminals were punished in the past. To compare punishments from the past with the present

Law and order Hue and cry The Stocks Jury These were all Medieval ways of achieving law and order Who is responsible for catching and criminals? Who decides if someone is guilty or innocent? Do you know any of these words: Hue and cry The Stocks Jury Unlike today, there was no police force or even a prison service in medieval times. In the Middle ages it was a time in which law and order played a part in everybody's life.

Do you think this would work? Hue and Cry Do you think this would work? Although there was no police force, each village had a constable, chosen for a year. He performed his duties in his spare time. Each villager had the power to accuse someone of a crime and could raise hue and cry. This was where if a person was attacked they shouted out, and every villager had to come to their aid or be fined.

What kind of punishments do you think were given? Jury Every villager had to attend manorial court. The lord could collect his taxes, but also dealt with minor crimes and sorted out arguments – they even had juries of twelve men to decide if someone was guilty. What kind of punishments do you think were given?

Punishments There was a wide range of punishments, ranging from a whipping if caught not working hard enough, to being put in the stocks or the pillory for cheating or thieving. Do you think other people left criminals alone in the stocks? What do you think they did to them? Stocks Pillory But this was nothing

Do you think these harsh punishments would deter would-be criminals? Trials by ordeal Water Hot Iron Combat Do you think these ordeals would prove someone’s guilt? Do you think these harsh punishments would deter would-be criminals?

More serious punishments Murder Thieves The stocks and pillories may sound unpleasant, but compared to most other punishments, they were soft. Murderers were sentenced to death but the method of execution depended on whether you were a man or a woman. Thieves could expect to lose a hand or face other types of mutilation. Many were hanged! Men tended to be hanged, women burnt alive! Noblemen could look forward to being beheaded. Remember, the people of the middle ages did not have prisons like we do today. The punishment had to be seen to fit the crime and stop others doing the same.

These methods still exist today Mr Moutkel was accused of having stolen a mattress. No evidence was ever brought against him. Hue and cry "They strapped me against this pillar," recalls Mr Moutkel, “Within a few seconds, one of them emerged from the group with a knife and cut my hand off. I was in hospital when I woke up." What country do you think this happened in? Just like in medieval times, there was no police force. “They were members of the Mujao Islamist group, There were many of them," Moutkel says. "Some of them wore a mask, and one filmed the whole scene with a mobile phone.” Punishment Remember, The punishment had to be seen to fit the crime and stop others doing the same.

Mali Mr Moutkel used to be a worker on construction sites. His amputation means that he cannot work anymore. "I don't know what I am going to do," he says. Mali was controlled by harsh Islamic rule for a period of 10 months from March 2012

Rebirth of the rule of law in Mali? After a chaotic 18 months, ended with the help of the French military, Malians have participated in a peaceful election, voting in their hundreds and thousands for a new president. Tasks: Is hue and cry an effective way to judge if someone has committed a crime? What types of punishments do you think would better suit the crime of stealing a mattress? Recommend ways the new government could modernise law and order in Mali?

Plenary: Does the punishment fit the crime? What punishments would you give?