Prison sentences were
used to hold those awaiting
trial
Over time Roman punishments
became more violent, including
amputations and death by
pouring molten lead down the
convicts throat
Crucifixion was used for Christian, jews and slaves, for
those who refused to recognise the Emperor as a
leader or god and so made an example of
Capital Punishment crimes included,
Arson, Murder, Treason, Stealing farm
animals or from the temple
Capital Punishments included,
Crucifixion, burning at the stake and
being sent to the gladiator rings
Corporal Punishment crimes included
theft and under-weight breed
Corporal Punishment included, Flogging, Fines,
exile and building/rebuilding buildings
Nobleman had the option to take the
punishment of exile rather than
execution as their social status
allows them option towards their
punishments
All slaves in a household were crucified if only one of
them murdered or attempted murder towards their
master.
They could present evidence at trial but had to be tortured first
to have the status of citizenship which they could then present
their evidence
Legionnaries who ran away from the battle field faced execution and
the legions they came from 1 in 10 men were executed and chosen by
lot to make an example of
Law of the Romans
Roman laws covered every aspect of Roman life
The Roman's law enforcement forces' main task
was to punish
There were laws to make Roman towns a better place
Making sure householders kept the streets
outside their homes clean and Dumping
waste into rivers were crimes
First recorded laws were
the Twelve tables
around 450BC
Children learnt them at school
Law enforcers
Originally there was no policing methods
however as the Empire expanded Emperor
Augustus set up forces to police Rome.
Vigiles (7000 men) - Their
main duty was to prevent and
put out fires
Urban Cohorts (3000
soldiers) - Their main job was
to keep order in the streets by
stopping riots
Praetorian Guards - The Emperor's household
guards. They were used in emergencies to protect
the Emperor
Reasons for Methods used
The Romans did try
to solve the
problems of crime
But did
nothing to
solve the
problems of
poverty and
overcrowding
which were the
main root
causes of the
crimes
Executions
were used
because they
were cheap and
would frighten
other away from
crime especially
if they were
violent
Prisons were
expensive to run
so were only
used for those
awaiting trial as
the government
were scared that
people would riot
if they raised
taxes
Boudicca's revolt
1. King of the Iceni died,
the romans took land
and looted homes
2. When
Bouddica
protested she
was Flogged and
her Daughter's
raped
3. Bouddicca led a rebellion of the
Iceni and other tribes joined her
against the Romans
4. Suetonius Paulinus gathered an
army of 10,000 men but were much
smaller than the rebel's army.
He sacrificed London to gather
more men
5. Boudicca's army raced to
the attack but when they
started to retreat they were
trapped by their own families
of spectators and their
wagons
6. The Romans initial
reactions were to slaughter
the rebels and their
families. However after
this revolt they began to
Romanise them and kill
any who rebel
The Fall of the Romans
Reasons for the Collapse
Civil War -weak government
Failure to absorb non-roman
immagrates
Clash of civilisation - was
weakened by the Empire
Barbarian Invaders
Plague and disease
economy collapse
the romans were more interested
in the entertainment of the
colosseum and ampitheatres
Impact upon law and order
without the roman army to enforce the roman system
failed to operate and civilisation ceased to exsist
Without the Roman legions defending the Roman provices, the barbarian tribes
such as the anglo-saxons invaded the abandoned provinces and so they
brought over their own laws and methods of policing
The legion left in AD410 due to the sacking of Rome in the 5th Century
Also, during the transition periods crime increased as this caused a time of lawlessness