During the 17th century in the Colonial period early Americans didn’t have any suited rules, or laws to protect themselves from criminal behavior. During those years Americans developed their own mechanisms to then enforce the rules of society as well as punishing offenders. Today those are taken over by the police, courts, and corrections. Before any former laws were established in the United States, Americans relied on religion and sins to improve people’s life. That’s why many of their Colonial crime codes were from the bible such as blasphemy, profanity, and sacrileges of the sabbath which were highly punished. There were punishments such as dunking which they tied you onto a chair your arms as well and would dunk you into a lake, stoning
