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VICTORIAN JUSTICE  HO JOON CHUN **SUMMARY**  There was certainly law and orders in the Victorian England society. Because crime rates were high, justice was just as strict for the people of the Victorian Era. The extent of how justice influenced people's lives was very huge: justice was indeed necessary in the society. The very reason why law was starting to gain attention at that time was due to the prevalent crimes. From pick pocketing to burglary and murder, crimes were increasing both in number and in scale, leading to the enforcement of strict laws to stabilize the society and protect its people. During this time, to counter the problem, prisons were created; suspects and those convicted of serious crimes would be kept in jails. The irony was, though, the law gradually became outrageous, and the penalties became violent. Those convicted of stealing would have their fingers cut off and even simple crimes such as burglary could mean a death sentence. These means of punishment, however, were soon discarded and prisons were established instead. Prisons were intended as the solutions of the ridiculous justice systems that had previously existed. In addition, another system that came to existence was transportation. Criminals could be transported outside of the country, usually to Australia, where they would have to stay as a penalty. Meanwhile, its system was simple and can, to some extent, account for how our justice system is organized today: There is a prosecutor and a defendant, who normally defends on his own without the help of lawyers. Defendants were often left vulnerable, since without lawyers or any sorts of legal help, they were rather disadvantaged. Of course, the rich could always afford legal help, but considering the price, not many during that time would have the means to defend themselves with legal help.

**VISUALS** 1. This picture shows how court rulings were made and the general idea of the way trials were executed. http://www.roussojackel.com/images/victorian_court2.gif

2. This picture is a Victorian prison.

http://www.fotonet.org.uk/images/reviews/wall_25.jpg

**For further Research** [] This site provides an insight to the prisons in the Victorian times, including some questions that really tests the knowledge of prisons. Since the site is .gov and published from National Archives of UK, it is pretty reliable.

[] It is from a BBC article and the author/ reporter describes the actions taken by the Victorian in an exaggerated manner. Though it may sound a little biased, the article infuses humor and real facts.

**Works Cited** Jackson, Peter "Rough Justice--Victorian Style" BBC NEWS 2009. Web 15 Feb "A Victorian Prison." //The National Archives.// The National Archives, n.d. Web. 11 Feb. 2010. "Panopticons." E2BN. Victorian Crime &Punishment, 2006. Web. 11 Feb. 2010