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Crime and punishment in Britain overview - OCR BChange and continuity across time

From the medieval period to the present day, the nature and extent of crime, the enforcement of law and order, and society's punishment of offenders has changed. Various factors have influenced why different aspects of crime and punishment have changed or stayed the same.

Part of HistoryCrime and punishment, c.1250 to the present day

Change and continuity across time

Terminology

When studying the history of crime and punishment, it’s useful to know the following terms:

  • change - when something is different from what it was before
  • continuity - when something is the same as what it was before
  • progress - when there is positive change or improvement and things get better
  • regression - when there is negative change and things get worse
  • rate of change - the speed at which change takes place (eg slow, fast, rapid or )
  • turning point - a point at which significant change happens
  • factor - an element that drives change, enables change to happen or supports continuity - for example, the Church, government, individuals, science and technology, and attitudes in society are all factors that have affected the history of crime and punishment
  • prevention - the action of trying to stop something from happening