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History · Crime, punishment and law enforcement in recent times
The Abolition of the Death Penalty
Timothy Evans, Derek Bentley and Ruth Ellis - the cases that turned public opinion, and why Britain abolished hanging for murder in 1965.
Learning Objectives
- 1Describe the cases of Timothy Evans, Derek Bentley and Ruth Ellis.
- 2Explain why the death penalty was abolished in 1965.
- 3Assess the arguments for and against the death penalty.
Setting the Scene
In 1900 murder was still punishable by hanging. By the 1950s a series of controversial cases had convinced many people that innocent or undeserving people were being executed. In 1965 Parliament suspended the death penalty for murder, and it was abolished permanently in 1969.
- 1950 Timothy Evans is hanged for the murder of his daughter.
- 1953 Derek Bentley, aged 19, is hanged; John Christie is revealed as a serial killer.
- 1955 Ruth Ellis becomes the last woman hanged in Britain.
- 1957 The Homicide Act limits the death penalty to certain types of murder.
- 1964 The last executions in Britain take place.
- 1965 The death penalty for murder is suspended for five years.
- 1969 Abolition is made permanent.
Three Cases That Changed Opinion
Each raised serious doubts about hanging.
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Timothy Evans
Hanged in 1950 for murdering his daughter. In 1953 his landlord, John Christie, was found to be a serial killer. Evans was pardoned in 1966.
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Derek Bentley
Aged 19 with learning difficulties, hanged in 1953 for a murder committed by his 16-year-old friend, who was too young to hang. Pardoned in 1993.
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Ruth Ellis
Shot her abusive lover in 1955 and became the last woman hanged in Britain, despite great public sympathy.
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The problem
An innocent man had been hanged, and an execution cannot be undone.
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Fairness
Bentley did not fire the gun, but he hanged while the killer lived.
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Sympathy
Many felt Ellis's circumstances should have been taken into account.
Protests Against Hanging
The execution of Derek Bentley in 1953 caused public outrage. Crowds gathered outside the prison, and the case became a symbol of the campaign against hanging.
The case
- "Let him have it" Words Bentley was said to have shouted before his friend fired.
- Not the killer His friend Christopher Craig fired the shot but was too young to be hanged.
- Pardoned Bentley received a partial pardon in 1993, and his conviction was quashed in 1998.
Crowds outside Wandsworth Prison on the morning of Derek Bentley's execution, 1953.
Why the Death Penalty Was Abolished
Several factors came together in the 1950s and 1960s.
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Miscarriages of justice
The Evans case proved that an innocent person could be hanged.
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Changing attitudes
Society became more concerned with human rights and the rehabilitation of offenders.
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Campaigners
MPs such as Sydney Silverman campaigned for years to end hanging.
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Deterrence doubted
There was little evidence that hanging deterred murderers more than life imprisonment.
For and Against the Death Penalty
Arguments for
- Retribution: a life for a life.
- May deter other murderers.
- Protects the public permanently.
Arguments against
- An innocent person could be executed, and it cannot be undone.
- Little evidence it deters murder.
- It is cruel and against human rights.
Summary & Exam Focus
- The cases of Evans, Bentley and Ellis turned public opinion against hanging.
- Evans's case proved that an innocent man could be executed.
- The death penalty for murder was suspended in 1965 and abolished permanently in 1969.
- Changing attitudes and campaigners such as Sydney Silverman drove the change.
Exam focus
Explain why the death penalty was abolished in 1965. (12 marks) (12 marks)
Use the three cases as evidence, and explain wider reasons too - changing attitudes, campaigners, doubts about deterrence.
Key terms
The vocabulary this lesson expects you to use. Each one is linked from the first place it appears above.
- Capital punishment
- Execution as a punishment for crime.
- Abolition
- Ending something completely, such as the death penalty.
- Miscarriage of justice
- When an innocent person is convicted of a crime.
- Pardon
- Official forgiveness, which can be given after death.
- Homicide Act
- The 1957 law limiting the death penalty to certain types of murder.
- Retribution
- Punishment as revenge for the harm done.
Downloads
Free to keep, print and annotate.
- The Abolition of the Death Penalty.pptx Built from the lesson script on 23 September 2026. View
- The Abolition of the Death Penalty - Completed Notes.docx The full notes for the lesson, every gap filled in - to check against, or to revise from. Built from the lesson script on 23 September 2026. View
- The Abolition of the Death Penalty - Exam Questions.docx Built from the lesson script on 23 September 2026. View
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