The Mid 1900s
The 1900s
There were many events that were occurring during the mid-1900s. Such as the opening of the Sydney Harbour bridge in 1932, the declaration of war on Germany in 1939, and the Vietnam war in 1963. However one of the most critical events that occurred was the Great Depression and the punishment status of Australia that provides background and understanding of the crime and the criminal.
The Great Depression
The Great Depression (1929-32) was a time of extreme hardship for the people of Australia. This period began for many people before the market crashed in prices and it lasted for as long as until World War 2 (1939-45).
The Great Depression was a worldwide catastrophe, and it also had its toll on Australia. It happened due to the devastating stock market crash on Wall Street in October 1929. This was the centre of stock market trading in New York, USA and began a serious depression for the industrialised world.
Australia’s unemployment rate was already at 10% before the Great Depression. So many people were already poor, but due to the Great Depression, unemployment rate doubled to 21% and hit its peak in 1930 at 32%. For many people it was difficult to find jobs, earn money and even provide for their family.
Thus Great Depression had many factors that contributed towards the crime committed and the criminology behind it. However due to the crime committed there was much talk about the abolition of the death penalty.
The Great Depression was a worldwide catastrophe, and it also had its toll on Australia. It happened due to the devastating stock market crash on Wall Street in October 1929. This was the centre of stock market trading in New York, USA and began a serious depression for the industrialised world.
Australia’s unemployment rate was already at 10% before the Great Depression. So many people were already poor, but due to the Great Depression, unemployment rate doubled to 21% and hit its peak in 1930 at 32%. For many people it was difficult to find jobs, earn money and even provide for their family.
Thus Great Depression had many factors that contributed towards the crime committed and the criminology behind it. However due to the crime committed there was much talk about the abolition of the death penalty.
The Death Penalty
Before the Abolition of the Death Penalty in 1973 and the final abolish of the death penalty in 1985, hanging as a form of execution was still used for various crimes at that time. In the nineteenth century, approximately 80 people per year were hanged for these crimes. And after federation in 1901, approximately 114 people were legally executed. The abolition of the death penalty was always debated, as many argued that abolishing the penalty did not cause crime rate to increase, and that it was a cruel form of punishment.
According to the information received from nearly all Commonwealth countries, including Australia, the British Royal Commission on Capital Punishment stated that almost all of the murderers released from prison behaved well after their departure and the type of prisoner that were likely to misbehave after release.
However many also argued that the death penalty was a form of retribution, a form of justice. This played with the concept of an ‘eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth’ in which the penalty was not a form of community protection or deterrence but for reprisal.
Thus there was great turmoil in Australia, as many debated and protested for the use of the death penalty and its abolition. And it was further amplified through the execution of studied criminal Ronald Ryan.
According to the information received from nearly all Commonwealth countries, including Australia, the British Royal Commission on Capital Punishment stated that almost all of the murderers released from prison behaved well after their departure and the type of prisoner that were likely to misbehave after release.
However many also argued that the death penalty was a form of retribution, a form of justice. This played with the concept of an ‘eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth’ in which the penalty was not a form of community protection or deterrence but for reprisal.
Thus there was great turmoil in Australia, as many debated and protested for the use of the death penalty and its abolition. And it was further amplified through the execution of studied criminal Ronald Ryan.