从19世纪英国刑罚的变迁看人类文明进程

The Human Civilization Process Through the Change of the Nineteenth Century British Criminal Penalty

19世纪是英国社会的转型期,社会流动频繁,犯罪增加。政府往往用各种严刑峻法来确保其财产和生命的安全,从枷刑、鞭刑这些残酷的肉刑,到绞刑和流放刑都是19世纪重刑的重要组成部分。世纪中叶起,采用新的刑罚方式,用流放刑代替绞刑,再变劳役拘禁,为此把过去的看守所改造成现代监狱,不仅使监狱向更理性实用的方向转化,而且致力于探索新的改造犯人的方式,变惩罚为改造。19世纪英国刑罚的变迁,既体现了刑罚本身的变化,也在一定程度上映照着人类文明的进程。

Nineteenth century Britain witnessed its social transformation within which social mobility increased dramatically and crimes rose rapidly.Government tended to use all kinds of cruelty penalty to punish criminals to protect property and lives.Those varying from pillory,whipping,to hanging and exile constituted a part of nineteenth century penalty system.From the mid of 19th century onwards,Britain adopted exile to replace hanging,then penal servitude by changing the old prison into modern prison.Prisons not only took a more rational and practical look,but involved figuring out new ways to reform the prisoners.From the change of nineteenth century penalty,we can not only see the change of penalty itself,but the human civilization process as well.