Parts of the Medieval Court System Which Are Still Used in Our American Court System Today

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Parts of the medieval court system which are still used in our American court system today Open-door policy The notion that our system is better because law and order happens behind closed doors especially needs to be challenged,There is a real downside to keeping those who are punished out of the public eye—we often have no idea how they are being treated most medieval communities lacking any proper policing, crime prevention was trusted in the hands of the village common-folk. There was no reason—or means—for punishment to be any different, say experts. "Punishments therefore had to be simple and generally seen to be fair," according to the online exhibitions of the United Kingdom's National Archives. "Fierce, physical mutilation common in earlier periods, was now rarely used."Though murderers were often executed, the majority of lesser medieval offenses were punished by shaming the criminal publicly, according to Carrel. Fastening the offender into stocks wasn't considered barbaric, she said, and was seen as a much better alternative to spending the time in jail. Criminal charity Even medieval jail wasn't a closed-off affair. Prisoners were often let out to beg and could make money behind bars as long as they shared their take with the jailers. "Charity towards criminals was much more acceptable and much more common in the Middle Ages. "Many people left bequests to help prisoners in their wills, for example." Town officials looking for good press would also leave baskets of food or ale for the jailed. Medieval authorities were lacking the funds to construct and upkeep jail systems as we know them today. In special cases when long-term incarceration was required, or to hold a prisoner awaiting trial, castle dungeons would have been used, according to the National Archives. Twelve shillings for a maid But cash payment was sufficient enough punishment for
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