Campbell: Two bills on criminal pardons. One of them gets it right

Our medieval ancestors had some interesting ideas about crime. They favoured the swiftness and sureness of physical punishments, and branding with a hot iron had particular efficiencies. It not only punished the offender, it also left the record of criminality visible for all to see. Nothing like a “T” branded on your face or hand to permanently record your offence of theft.
The passage of time brought some reconsideration, and moral punishment became more attractive than physical. &