Les Misérables | Compare and Contrast

1830s: Under public pressure, French legislators reformed prisons to some extent. They abolished some of the more barbaric forms of punishment that were practiced under the Ancien R&eacutegime, such as torture and hanging, and offered education for petty offenders.

1850s: As a result of unemployment caused by industrialization, crime rates rose in France and the prison population increased. Inmates were not allowed to speak to each other. Riots and suicides took place in prisons.

Today: Due in part to poor economic conditions in France,...

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