Roman Crime and Punishment

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Roman Crime and Punishment Crime and punishment of the Roman era was nothing like it is today. There was no fines, probation or community service, just torture and execution. If you got caught using slander against an emperor, a likely punishment would be to cut off your tongue so you could never talk again. This strict and barbaric code was used throughout the Roman times and was the basis for many other empires code of laws. The punishments for crimes in the Roman era were carried out quickly and severely with no input from the criminal. Many things that may be common occurrences today were considered horrible crimes in the Roman times. Many things like adultery and seduction were thought upon as heinous crimes to be punished with force. During these times there was theft and murder and banishment and execution automatically dealt with these crimes, but these were not the only crimes. If a family had forbidden a marriage between two people, and they went ahead with the marriage, both people could be subject to punishment. "The crime of incest, or marriage of persons with forbidden degrees, was usually punished by deportation" (Bury, 411). Here it is explained that incest and forbidden marriages were punished by deportation, a swift and strict punishment. Another small thing that was considered a bad crime in Roman times was seduction. If you seduced another person, both people would be punished. Even if a nurse had told someone to succumb to the seduction, she would be penalized. "If a nurse were proved to have encouraged her to yield to a seducer, molten lead was to be poured into her mouth and throat." (Bury, 412). Even the encouragement of a small crime would be punished in a horrible way. In Roman times there were many more crimes than other cultures that could be punished with unthinkable consequences. Many of the punishments of Roman crimes were horrifying by today's standards. Torture and public executions were very common punishments to severe and moderate crimes. If a human was charged with murdering another person in cold blood it was an automatic death penalty, the only question was how they would die. "A person might be set in an enclosure with a wild beast to be mauled to death from the animal." (Grant, 416). The whole entire community as a form of entertainment would watch this horrible death.

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