Early Forms of Punishments Over several centuries, the punishments imposed on felons has developed in a positive way. Nowadays, harmful punishments on criminals are prohibited except for the death penalty. Back then, crimes were punishable by death and by other torturous methods. Branding, whipping, and the use the pillory were some of many methods used to penalize a convict. Branding was enacted on criminals who were convicted of murder, theft, or other crimes. They would be burned on the thumb with a specific letter depending on what crime they committed such as “T” for theft. During a short period of time, offenders were branded on the cheek. They would then be unemployed due to the location of the mark so the branding on the thumb was …show more content…
A person who committed a crime would be stripped waist down and beaten in the streets. The whipping usually ended when the person’s back was bloody. Making the whipping public was used to try and prevent others from committing the crime. Whippings could be private or public. By 1817, women were no longer publicly whipped and for men in 1862. However, private whippings weren't terminated until 1948. Although pillory was used for public humiliation, it was also dangerous. The felon would put his head and arms in the holes and stand there for one hour. Bystanders who would watch would throw eggs, blood, and even bricks at them. The culprit would sometimes die because of the impact of the brick or stones. A small number of people were punished by the pillory yearly. The pillory was completely abolished by 1837. Another cruel punishment practiced was hanging. Culprits were hanged in front of the public. Before they were sent to their death, they were able to speak to the crowd. The noose is wrapped around the his/her neck and they would drop leading them to be strangled to death. The criminal would be hanged at the place where they committed the felony in order to decrease the crime rate in that