To what extent can the trial and execution of Ruth Ellis 1955 be Outline

To what extent can the trial and execution of Ruth Ellis 1955 be considered a turning point in approaches to the punishment of criminals in Britain in the years 1830-1965 - Outline Example treadwheel) but also the use of crank machines, shot drills, and picking oakum1, 2. With the purpose of â€Å"grinding corn, pumping water, and other prison purposes†, the criminals had to work between 8 to 10 hours a day manually revolving the mill by stepping on the 16 feet wood cylinder3. In 1865, the number of days wherein the prisoners will have to use the treadmill or crank was limited to only 3 months of their entire sentences4. The penal transportation is referring to the process of transporting convicted criminals to a separate colony (i.e. Van Diemen’s Land in Australia)5. Since the 1820s, there was a false belief that the act of transporting convicted criminals to a separate colony could help decrease the crime rate in Britain. In 1837, the group of penal transportation committee was finally convinced that this particular penal punishment was not effective and has to be removed immediately. Eventually, the Penal Servitude Act 1853 became the substitute for penal transportation6. As a correctional facility, convicted male offenders were kept in Pentonville Prison since 1842 whereas the female offenders were kept in the Brixton Prison since 1852. In 1857, the British government officially abandoned the use of the â€Å"prison hulks† which are old sailing ships7. Between 1877 to 1878, all prisoners in Britain were being managed by the British government. Other form of punishment includes hanging in public which officially ended in 18688. Ellis used a .38 revolver to shoot David four times yet she remaind calm after committing the crime. During the trial, Ellis boldly stated that â€Å"it was obvious that when I shot him, I intended to kill him†9. Specifically the facts presented in the court gave the jury the false idea that Ellis was â€Å"a cold-blooded killer†10. Even though the use of hanging as a form of capital punishment has officially ended in 1868, Ellis became the