The English Prison System: The British Penal System

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In 1884 the British penal system started taking its shape. The British penal system was based on Mark system, which was the foundation of the English prison system. Marks system allowed prisoners to have the right of early leave, which meant that they could be released if they showed signs of improvement in behaviour. The mark system was proved to be one of the best ways of reducing the increasing numbers of prisoners in prison. The system was also tried out by Walter Crofton in Irish prisons. Every criminal case starts in the magistrate court, the magistrates court deals with less serious criminal cases, a less serious case is referred to as a summary offence, either way offence and indicatable only offence. There are up to 30,000 magistrates