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Comment by ghayes | Hacker News Reader

Going to the source[0], there is no reference to the punishment listed. In fact, other punishments listed on the same page seem mundane in comparison, e.g.

> ... the Jury found him Guilty to the Value of 38s.

Is it possible this is just a transcription error?

Edit: maybe not, see [1]

[0] http://www.oldbaileyonline.org/images.jsp?doc=171601130002

[1] http://www.oldbaileyonline.org/images.jsp?doc=171601130006

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According to my tour of The Galleries of Justice, in Nottingham UK, the cut-off point between transportation and execution was the price of a loaf of bread.

And yet people still stole stuff. Does that say something about deterrence?

If you're stealing to live, the threat of being executed is just an alternative ending.

In 'The Commonwealth Of Thieves' Tom Keneally notes some people were committing offences with the express intention of being sentenced to transportation to the penal colonies in Australia. Apologies for the secondary source.

As you probably know, some were only transported temporarily and returned to England at the end of their servitude.

There's very little reason to think that the death penalty was ever an effective deterrent.

Also, like I said in a previous comment, it's interesting to note the 'interview' given to the condemned: http://www.oldbaileyonline.org/browse.jsp?div=OA17160127

I also wonder what's up with those two names in the 'burnt in hand' section that are anonymized (V--- E--- and G--- C---). Public people not wanting others to know about it? Escapees? People with no public records?

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