Oscar Wilde's Case On Attitudes To Crime And Punishment

What was the impact of the Oscar Wilde case on attitudes to crime and punishment?

A negative view was held towards homosexuality going as far back as 1553 when ‘The Buggery Act’ came into place instructing that the act of buggery was a capital offence, it was thought of as a sin against nature and therefore should be banned from taking place in society. However, many people had a tolerant view to homosexuality in the idea that as long as it was behind closed doors then it could be ignore, but, anyone found to be committing this offence would be hung and this would continue for up to 300 years to come. The main thing that changed the opinions of homosexuality was the trial of Oscar Wilde, which also changed people’s opinions of crime and
Wilde took the stand and the jury deliberated the evidence for over 3 hours but released Wilde on bail on May 7th. Three weeks later Wilde was tried for the second time in front of the liberal government. The case and evidence was deliberated for 3 hours and eventually Wilde was sentenced to the maximum of 2 years hard labour in Pentonville prison followed by Reading prison 6 months later. The hard labour weakened Wilde and began to show the true image of hard labour in prison providing a fairly negative view of it. In 1897 Henry Havelock Ellis wrote in his book, ‘sexual inversions’, that Britain had “the most draconian laws against homosexuality”, this was the first time the term homosexual had been used and by providing a name an identity was formed one that was thought to be treated badly by the law making public view of the police more negative for their cruel treatment of homosexuals. The Vagrancy Act of 1898 introduce the offence of ‘importuning’, it was to be the solution for immoral purposes referring to prostitution etc. during the year the Ballad of Reading Gaol written by Oscar Wilde was published, coinciding with the Gladstone report. This ballad described the hanging of a soldier who slit the throat of his wife; it detailed the horrors endured by prisoners awaiting their deaths bringing the public great dismay and animosity towards the law and its ways
This alteration was made to further consolidate the act of ‘importuning’ as there was a need to reinforce the act and make it clear to the public of the implications that would be caused if they were to ignore this act. By 1921 a new offence had been proposed of ‘gross indecency’ between women but the House of Lords rejected it following the presumption that women would not do such things as it was too unnatural. Offences of ‘gross indecency’ doubled to 300 a year between 1918 and 1939. It was still a huge concern and the issue of two men of different social class was a large worry in particular as it not only was thought to go against the law of nature but also went against common social