EVERYTHING YOU WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT CRIME AND PUNISHMENT

Q: How did the criminal justice system as we know it develop in Britain?

A: Aspects of the modern criminal justice system can be traced back to the 12th and 13th centuries, such as the introduction of trial by jury, which emerged during the reign of Henry II [r1154–89]. He established that 12 free men should be assigned to act in land disputes, but he also introduced the use of a grand jury in assize courts, where 12 men had to report crimes in their local area to a judge.

Although there were previous systems that involved groups of men making decisions, it was only during this period that the concept developed further and became more recognisably modern. Prior to this, crimes were dealt with using trial by ordeal, which would involve subjecting people to extreme punishments, torturing them to see whether they were guilty or innocent.

The introduction of trial by jury was a real marker of the