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Prisons have been used through history, but in most societies, they were not used as a form of punishment. Instead, they were used as places to hold people accused of capital crimes for trial, and people found guilty of capital crimes until they were punished. They were also used in some places to hold debtors who failed to pay, so their families would get money together to get them out.

In the early Middle Ages, punishments were usually in the form of fines; petty crimes were punished with light fines, and important crimes, such as murder, were punished with heavy fines. A person who could not pay the fine was sold into slavery.

Later on, it became possible to punish petty crimes with punishments that were intended to be humiliating, such as putting a person in the stocks, so passers by could throw things at them. This had the advantage of making it important for people to get along in society, because if an unpopular person was put in the stocks, there might be no telling what could be thrown at him.

The people of villages and towns were all well known to one another, so it was possible to punish a person by confining him to a specific area of the town, depending on the people of the town to report any infringements.

Serious crimes were tried by royal courts in the cities. Prisons were sometimes used to hold accused criminals awaiting trial, but in England, for example, there was not a prison in every county, so people were sometimes sent to another county for trial. Serious crimes were not usually punished with imprisonment, but in other ways. In a worst case, this could be a rather nasty execution. Other forms of punishment included exile and enslavement.

Many criminals escaped punishment by entering monasteries, where they could have sanctuary. This was not a prison, but it might have served the purpose.

The idea of a penitentiary, as a place where a person could reflect on the sins he had committed, be penitent, and be rehabilitated, arose during a period of religious fervor in the 19th century.

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Q: Why was jail usually not an option in medieval times?
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What is the difference between the Medieval Times and now?

Wow! There are HEAPS of differences between society now and back in the Medieval Times. I've made a list below and I ! - Feudalism no longer exists in most places because a Democracy system was put in its place. - People's age expectancy has increased! This is more likely the case in developed countries. - Equality has become stronger now between races, ethnicities, religions and genders. - The amount of poor people has decreased. - Medical Practices have improved by a lot. - And basically, life is just better! If this answer helped you, please help me and click 'recommend' and make me a recommended answerer! Thanks (:


Where did wearing your jeans below your waist originate?

Jail


Where did sagging of pants originate from?

the style was made in jail... but not for this reason. in jail they dont let you wear belts for safety reasons. than it started to be cool to go to jail so people would wear there pants below there waist to look or be like a prisoner. THATS why people wear there pants below thier wais


What did an ancient roman jail look like?

it look like wooden bars and glass frames around it also if people were to get out they would get wiped and forced to foot bind with no healing for the rest of there life and eventually dead because of the pain so dont do it


What was a life like for a medieval prisoner?

Nothing like you see in Hollywood pictures or on television; furthermore, prison could mean several different things.One common (and fairly mild) form of imprisonment was to be confined in a castle. This is what happened to the Saxon monks of Canterbury who initially refused to accept a Norman Abbot, and later to the first group of Franciscan friars to arrive at Dover. It meant no more than being confined within the walls of the castle, otherwise prisoners could walk around the castle, enjoy the fresh air and even join in with meals and entertainment. Occasionally they were restricted to the "keep" or donjon - hence the modern expression "thrown into a dungeon", but it did not mean being kept in a cell.Most early castles had no cells or prison, so confinement within all or part of the castle was really the only option. Later castles might include a much more serious form of "jail" - an oubliette (literally a place to forget people). This was a stone-lined pit shaped a bit like an onion, with the only entrance a covered hatchway at the narrow top end. This pit would widen out at the bottom, but the only way in or out was by ladder. Here prisoners would be left to starve to death and forgotten about (such cases are very rare until after the medieval period).Castles were often converted into prisons after the medieval period (as at Canterbury in Kent and the Bastille in Paris), giving some people today the false idea that this is how they always operated.

Related questions

Why would people go to jail in the medieval times?

In the medieval era there was something called a debtors prison. This was a prison where people would usually go if failing or refusing to pay off their debts


What did medieval people eat in jail?

Low-standard porridge.


Did the medieval times castle have dungons?

Generally, yes. Remember that the knight or duke who owns the castle is generally also the local law enforcement authority; the "dungeon" is also the jail.


How many times did miley go to jail?

She went to jail 3 times


How many times gucci mane went to jail?

he has been in jail several times


How many times honey singh gon to jail?

seven times he was gone to jail


What is a medieval jailers?

Medieval jailers were like prison guards in the medieval times. They had to keep watch on the prisoners and make sure they didn't escape. The jails back then were more relaxed. The jailers would let the prisoners out to beg for money because there was no other way to make money while in jail, but only if they shared part of the profit with the jailer.


How many times did meek mill go jail?

125 times meek went to jail.


Did medieval jail sentences have a term?

Yes. In the Middle Ages, long terms of imprisonment (over 6 months) were usually only for 'important personages'. The most common penalty for those with some money was a fine.


How many times has been in jail?

Three times


How many times was Adolf Hitler in jail for?

Hitler was in jail only once.


How many time honey singh to jail?

seven times he was gone to jail