RootsChat.Com
General => The Common Room => Topic started by: c-side on Sunday 12 June 16 22:49 BST (UK)
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I came across a 1916 newspaper article which outlined the conviction of four females. The first got 3 months hard labour, the second 6 weeks and the other two were sentenced to 1 month in the second division.
Does anyone know what constituted hard labour for a woman and what the second division was (I’m guessing it’s not football ;D )
Christine
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The Prison Act 1898 made provision for the courts to classify into three divisions those sentenced to imprisonment without hard labour.
The Second Division of Misdemeanants were subject to a less rigorous treatment than those sentenced to "Hard Labour". They included debtors and offenders whose acts, though legally criminal, involved nothing dishonourable or disgraceful.
Stan
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For details of the three divisions see http://www.rootschat.com/links/01hsp/
Stan
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For details of the three divisions see http://www.rootschat.com/links/01hsp/
The previous page, 166, describes hard labour.
Stan
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Thanks, Stan - great information
Christine
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Just to add that Section 1 of the Criminal Justice Act 1948 abolished the prison divisions together with penal servitude and hard labour.
Stan