723:"I should, therefore, sign the declaration prepared by Mr. Ewart, but that I doubt whether public opinion in this country is yet ripe for the acceptance of such a change; and if it should be accomplished, without the sufficient sanction of that opinion, I fear the reaction which might follow on the perpetration of some great crime. I think, also, that the substitution of a minor penalty would render essential serious modifications in the discipline and machinery of our prisons; and such modifications, whilst I believe them to be possible, may be difficult, and remain to be devised. On these grounds, having regard to the practical scope of Your Majesty's Commission, I cannot join in simply advising immediate abolition; but, so far qualifying my adhesion to the terms of the declaration, I am prepared to adopt the principle which it embodies."
711:
A declaration, drafted by
Stephen Lushington, was included in the Report: " . . . are not prepared to agree to the Resolution respecting private executions." Signed by Stephen Lushington, Wm Ewart, Charles Neate, J Moncreiff, John Bright. This is presumably because they strongly favoured abolition.
635:
The Report of the commission was published in
December 1865. The report proper summarised the evidence and gave the commissioners' recommendations. The oral testimony was printed verbatim over 471 pages; the written responses were gathered into an appendix of 195 pages plus an index. There followed
611:
What is the most severe punishment next to that of death by the law of . . . . ? and in cases where the sentence of death is reduced by the finding of attenuating circumstances, or commuted by the government to such lesser punishment, is the latter invariably carried out in full ? If not,
88:
to inquire into the
Provisions and Operation of the Laws now in force in the United Kingdom, under and by virtue of which the Punishment of Death may be inflicted upon persons convicted of certain crimes, and also into the manner in which Capital Sentences are carried into execution, and to report
626:
Sent France, Belgium, Holland, Prussia, Bavaria, Austria, Saxony, Hanover, Italy, Tuscany, Spain, Portugal, Russia, Switzerland, Denmark, Sweden, Nassau, Anhalt, Oldenberg, Brunswick, New York, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Ohio, Maine and Rhode Island, Columbia, Indiana, Venezuela, Wisconsin,
615:
Have there been any changes of late years in the law of . . . . . by which certain crimes formerly capital have ceased to be so ? If so, have these crimes increased, and is their increase, if any, attributed to the diminution of the
707:
The
Commission did not come to agreement on abolition. On most matters, it offered a range of options for legislation. The exception was unanimity of the need for a law to stop public executions and to regulate executions within prisons.
715:
William Ewart, Stephen
Lushington, John Bright and Charles Neate signed a declaration drafted by Ewart: ". . . are of opinion that Capital Punishment might, safely, and with advantage to the community, be at once abolished."
719:
O'Hagan made a longer declaration: "I am of opinion,—with much deference for the great authority of those who think otherwise,—that the weight of evidence and reason is in favour of the abolition of
Capital Punishment.
607:
When a person is found guilty of a capital offence, is there any power in the jury, or the court, to reduce the punishment below that of death by finding attenuating circumstances ? If so, is this power frequently
20:
256:
851:
831:
169:
196:
99:
38:
622:
In what proportion of capital convictions is the punishment of death usually reduced by the clemency of the Head of the State to some minor infliction?
89:
whether any, and if any what alteration is desirable in such Laws, or any of them, or in the manner in which such sentences are carried into execution.
732:
34:
139:
46:
846:
151:
826:
775:
235:
The
Commission took oral evidence on 15 days, between 29 November 1864 and 25 March 1865, dealing with three or four witnesses a day.
186:
109:
62:
41:. Commissioners disagreed on the question of abolition of capital punishment, but their report's recommendations including abolishing
66:
393:
531:
346:
574:
490:
328:
836:
144:
119:
677:
619:
In what manner is the sentence of death executed, and does the execution take place in public or private ?
516:
318:
467:
377:
340:
420:
658:
461:
404:
129:
655:
the nature of capital punishment; its difference from all other punishments in its irrevocability, etc.
698:
what secondary punishment should be inflicted in the event of the abolition of the punishment of death
485:
433:
426:
356:
241:
164:
81:
553:
841:
805:
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In their report, they included a section summarising the response to the following questions:
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526:
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388:
260:
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445:
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206:
58:
42:
30:
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308:
297:
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the propriety of giving power to jurors to bring in verdicts of "guilty of murder" with "
756:. Parliamentary Papers. Vol. HC 1866 (3590) xxi 1. London: Eyre & Spottiswoode.
597:
560:
333:
301:
77:
820:
450:
284:
216:
156:
70:
604:
What crimes, if any, are now punishable with death by the law of . . . . . ?
683:
665:
641:
542:
176:
637:
367:
360:
415:
Hon. Secretary of the
Society for the Abolition of the Punishment of Death
313:
Hon. Secretary of the
Society for the Abolition of the Punishment of Death
780:
478:
689:
57:
The
Government agreed to a Royal Commission on 3 May 1864. In the
670:
restoring to the judges the power of recording sentence of death
673:
whether juries show a reluctance to convict in capital cases
753:
Report, together with the minutes of evidence and appendix
596:
Written questions were sent by the Commission via the
227:
Secretary to the commission was James Henry Patteson
627:
Ecuador, the Australian colonies, Scotland, Ireland
37:which worked from 1864 to 1866. It was chaired by
776:"Punishment Of Death.—Select Committee Moved For"
170:Under Secretary of State for the Home Department
21:Royal Commission on Capital Punishment 1949–1953
750:Royal Commission on Capital Punishment (1866).
695:whether executions should be public or private
73:'s resolution requesting a Royal Commission.
8:
809:. No. 275. 26 December 1865. p. 6.
100:Charles Gordon-Lennox, 6th Duke of Richmond
39:Charles Gordon-Lennox, 6th Duke of Richmond
27:The Royal Commission on Capital Punishment
852:1864 establishments in the United Kingdom
76:The commission was formally appointed by
832:Capital punishment in the United Kingdom
733:Capital punishment in the United Kingdom
565:Prison administrator and penal reformer
35:capital punishment in the United Kingdom
767:
612:to what extent is it mitigated ?
600:to foreign law officers and experts:
47:Capital Punishment Amendment Act 1868
7:
425:Association of Medical Officers of
361:Central Criminal Court (Old Bailey)
573:Belgian lawyer; chair of the 1848
14:
781:Parliamentary Debates (Hansard)
257:Comptroller General of Convicts
532:Solicitor General for Scotland
1:
347:Sheriff of the City of London
114:later the 15th Earl of Derby
575:International Peace Congress
491:Attorney General for Ireland
69:, but withdrew in favour of
45:, which was effected by the
847:1860s in the United Kingdom
868:
661:of the punishment of death
521:Cleric and philanthropist
145:Lord Chancellor of Ireland
18:
827:British Royal Commissions
678:extenuating circumstances
636:statistical tables and a
784:. 3 May 1864. cc2055-115
517:Sydney Godolphin Osborne
372:Jurist and statistician
319:Vere Hobart, Lord Hobart
93:The commissioners were:
19:Not to be confused with
16:British royal commission
585:Former judge in Bengal
468:Chief Justice of Bengal
378:James Fitzjames Stephen
323:Peer and administrator
803:"Capital Punishment".
421:Thomas Harrington Tuke
341:Hilary Nicholas Nissen
405:Horsemonger Lane Gaol
394:Court of Common Pleas
130:John Taylor Coleridge
549:William Cook Osborne
486:James Anthony Lawson
474:William Charles Hood
434:John Humffreys Parry
110:Edward, Lord Stanley
80:on 8 July 1864. Its
541:Former Governor of
680:" in certain cases
582:Sir Mordaunt Wells
165:Horatio Waddington
120:Stephen Lushington
82:terms of reference
837:Death penalty law
806:Pall Mall Gazette
646:James Shaw Willes
616:punishment ?
589:
588:
570:Auguste Visschers
462:Sir Lawrence Peel
455:Gloucester Prison
389:James Shaw Willes
357:Clerk of Arraigns
261:Western Australia
225:
224:
859:
811:
810:
800:
794:
793:
791:
789:
772:
757:
692:in capital cases
659:deterrent effect
446:Henry Cartwright
252:Edmund Henderson
238:
237:
207:George Ward Hunt
96:
95:
67:select committee
59:House of Commons
43:public execution
31:royal commission
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703:Recommendations
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502:Portland Prison
497:William Morrish
439:Serjeant at law
329:Sir George Grey
309:William Tallack
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152:James Moncrieff
55:
24:
17:
12:
11:
5:
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511:French lawyer
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302:Newgate Prison
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275:Richard Tanner
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140:Thomas O'Hagan
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78:Queen Victoria
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51:
15:
13:
10:
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6:
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2:
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592:Questionnaire
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508:Émile Chedieu
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267:Thomas Kittle
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242:George Denman
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217:Charles Neate
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187:William Ewart
185:
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159:for Scotland
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157:Lord Advocate
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71:Charles Neate
68:
64:
63:William Ewart
60:
52:
50:
48:
44:
40:
36:
32:
28:
22:
804:
798:
786:. Retrieved
779:
770:
752:
722:
718:
714:
710:
706:
650:
634:
625:
595:
577:in Brussels
552:Chaplain at
527:George Young
500:Governor of
412:Thomas Beggs
353:Henry Avory
234:
226:
92:
75:
56:
26:
25:
684:infanticide
666:Home Office
642:infanticide
543:Oxford Gaol
538:Henry Stace
401:John Jessop
177:John Bright
65:proposed a
53:Appointment
821:Categories
788:18 October
739:References
638:Draft Bill
608:exercised?
368:Leone Levi
294:John Davis
278:Policeman
270:Policeman
246:QC and MP
762:Citations
688:allowing
554:Bath Gaol
407:chaplain
104:Chairman
842:Penology
727:See also
451:Governor
396:justice
298:chaplain
231:Evidence
744:Sources
690:appeals
479:visitor
477:Asylum
466:Former
427:asylums
382:Lawyer
359:at the
345:Former
631:Report
134:judge
124:judge
84:were:
29:was a
790:2019
664:the
387:Sir
283:Sir
644:by
640:on
453:of
300:of
289:MP
259:in
221:MP
211:MP
201:MP
191:MP
181:MP
33:on
823::
778:.
648:.
61:,
49:.
792:.
23:.
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