Prisons In The Middle Ages

In the Middle Ages, people weren’t held in prison for punishments of their crimes. Instead, the prisons held the people who were accused of committing crimes until their innocence was proven. But, those who owed large amounts of money were kept in prison until their debts were paid. Also, if a criminal is convicted of a crime and sentenced the death sentence, they would make a public appearance in a public square and have the execution done there. Prisoners had to purchase their own food, drinks, clothing, beds, and other resources. People who often couldn’t afford it usually died of starvation and cold before their case went to trial; however, wealthy prisoners had a likely chance of surviving the harsh environment. Suspects who confessed their crimes had to do voluntary work; but, those who do not confess were tortured until they admitted.

Many people are still thrown in jail for not paying taxes or child support. When someone is sentenced to the death sentence, their closest family and friends typically come to this tragic event that is hosted in a private room and not in a public square. Essential resources are provided by the prison, rather than being payed for like in the Middle Ages. Also, sometimes, those who confess in committing a crime, do get less harsh of a sentence, but each case is different. Unile the Middle Ages, we do not torture people to confess the crimes that they have committed. Prison punishments and prisons them self have changed drastically since the Middle Ages; however, we still share many techniques that were used in the Middle Ages jailing