Y6 Crime and Punishment

Year 6 have been learning about crime and punishment in different time periods in our history topic. This week, we were finding out all about Victorian prisons and taking part in some activities to help us understand what a day in the life of a prisoner would have been like.

We had a go at picking oakum, which was pulling apart rough ropes all day long. We tried the treadwheel, which was stepping up and pushing down on a huge wheel that didn’t go anywhere. The shot drill, which involved moving a heavy weight around the room for no reason and finally, the crank, which involved turning a handle up to 10,000 times in one day!

We learnt how prisons were designed to be awful places so that prisoners would be punished for their crime and would not want to return.

Although we had a great time trying the activities out, we understood how painful, difficult and boring life in a Victorian prison would be.