Change and continuity across time

Over the past 1,000 years, the types of crime have largely stayed the same. However, advances in technology have seen change, with new crimes being committed. Law enforcement and punishment have seen the most change, as government has taken more responsibility for law and order. Additionally, attitudes in society have changed from to rehabilitation.

The past 1,000 years have seen periods of change and continuity, and both progress and regression. This is what makes the history of crime and punishment such an important and interesting subject of study.

Chronology

When studying the history of crime and punishment, it is important to understand the The sequence of time and key events are important for understanding change and continuity.

Period studies

Time can be divided into historical periods. The four historical periods for this thematic study of the history of medicine are:

Medieval England, c.1250-c.1500 - this period is sometimes referred to as the ‘Middle Ages’.
Renaissance England, c.1500-c.1700 - this period is sometimes referred to as ‘Early Modern’; the - when the monarch took power away from the Church - happened during this period.
The Industrial Revolution, c.1700-c.1900 - the second half of this period is sometimes referred to as the ‘Victorian’ period, after Queen Victoria, who reigned from 1837 to 1901.
Modern Britain, c.1900-present - the very early 1900s are sometimes referred to as the ‘Edwardian’ period.

Centuries

To help make sense of time, time periods are broken down into smaller chunks of time:

century - a period of 100 years
decade - a period of 10 years

Dates in history are ordered into centuries.

Century	Years
13th century	1201 to 1300
14th century	1301 to 1400
15th century	1401 to 1500
16th century	1501 to 1600
17th century	1601 to 1700
18th century	1701 to 1800
19th century	1801 to 1900
20th century	1901 to 2000
21st century	2001 to 2100

Century	13th century
Years	1201 to 1300

Century	14th century
Years	1301 to 1400

Century	15th century
Years	1401 to 1500

Century	16th century
Years	1501 to 1600

Century	17th century
Years	1601 to 1700

Century	18th century
Years	1701 to 1800

Century	19th century
Years	1801 to 1900

Century	20th century
Years	1901 to 2000

Century	21st century
Years	2001 to 2100

Terminology

When studying the history of crime and punishment, it’s useful to know the following terms:

change - when something is different from what it was before
continuity - when something is the same as what it was before
progress - when there is positive change or improvement and things get better
regression - when there is negative change and things get worse
rate of change - the speed at which change happens (eg slow, fast, rapid or )
trend - a general direction in which something is developing or changing
turning point - a point at which significant change happens
factor - an element that drives change, enables change to happen or supports continuity - for example, the Church, government, individuals, science and technology, or attitudes in society

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Crime and punishment in Britain overview - EdexcelChange and continuity across time