Prison life in Eire and the English criminal justice act, 1948

Abstract

In 1827 Elizabeth Fry enunciated a great axiom to an unbelieving public ?Punishment is not for revenge but to lessen crime and reform the criminal? The belief in this axiom grew slowly but gained more important exponents as time went on and it fell to a great great nephew of Elizabeth Fry, Sir Samuel Hoare (now Lord Templewood) to give full scope to it in the Criminal Justice Bill which as Home Secretary he presented to Parliament on November 10th, 1938. The Bill met with a formidable reception. In Committee certain differences appeared, not affecting the general structure, but before the report stage had been reached hostilities had commenced and the further consideration was postponed until Britain again enjoyed the blessings of peace More time elapsed than had been dreamt of before peace came, but at last after ten years Mr Chuter Ede, the Home Secretary, re-introduced the measure with such modifications only as the passage of time and the impact of war had rendered necessary. The Bill was well received and, after a full but in the main friendly discussion in both Houses, received the Royal Assent on the 30th July, 1948.