1.

Record Nr.

UNINA9910863194203321

Autore

Anderson Steven

Titolo

A History of Capital Punishment in the Australian Colonies, 1788 to 1900 / / by Steven Anderson

Pubbl/distr/stampa

Springer International Publishing, 2020

Cham : , : Springer International Publishing : , : Imprint : Palgrave Macmillan, , 2020

ISBN

3-030-53767-6

Edizione

[1st ed. 2020.]

Descrizione fisica

1 online resource (279 pages) : illustrations

Collana

Palgrave Histories of Policing, Punishment and Justice

Disciplina

364.660994

340.1

Soggetti

Corrections

Punishment

Law - History

Law - Philosophy

Law

Criminal justice, Administration of

Prison and Punishment

Australasian History

Legal History

Theories of Law, Philosophy of Law, Legal History

Criminal Justice

Islands of the Pacific History

Lingua di pubblicazione

Inglese

Formato

Materiale a stampa

Livello bibliografico

Monografia

Nota di bibliografia

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Nota di contenuto

1. Introduction: Thinking About Punishment Over Time -- 2 – Australia’s Hanging Years -- 3 – The Ideal and Reality of Execution Procedure -- 4 – The Criminal at the Gallows -- 5. The Scaffold Crowd -- 6. The End of Public Executions -- 7 – Race and the Reprisal of Public Hangings -- 8 – The Push to Abolish Capital Punishment -- 9 – Conclusion: Death of a Spectacle.

Sommario/riassunto

This book provides a comprehensive overview of capital punishment in the Australian colonies for the very first time. The author illuminates all



aspects of the penalty, from shortcomings in execution technique, to the behaviour of the dying criminal, and the antics of the scaffold crowd. Mercy rates, execution numbers, and capital crimes are explored alongside the transition from public to private executions and the push to abolish the death penalty completely. Notions of culture and communication freely pollinate within a conceptual framework of penal change that explains the many transformations the death penalty underwent. A vast array of sources are assembled into one compelling argument that shows how the ‘lesson’ of the gallows was to be safeguarded, refined, and improved at all costs. This concise and engaging work will be a lasting resource for students, scholars, and general readers who want an in-depth understanding of a long feared punishment. Dr. Steven Anderson is a Visiting Research Fellow in the History Department at The University of Adelaide, Australia. His academic research explores the role of capital punishment in the Australian colonies by situating developments in these jurisdictions within global contexts and conceptual debates.