Crime in England 1815-1880

Experiencing the criminal justice system

Helen Johnston

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2015
• Print ISBN:
  9781843929536
• eBook ISBN:
  9781317669333
• Topic: Historia
• Subtopic: Biografías de ciencias sociales

Crime in England, 1815-1880 provides a unique insight into views on crime and criminality and the operation of the criminal justice system in England from the early to the late nineteenth century.

This book examines the perceived problem and causes of crime, views about offenders and the consequences of these views for the treatment of offenders in the criminal justice system. The book explores the perceived causes of criminality, as well as concerns about particular groups of offenders, such as the 'criminal classes' and the 'habitual offender', the female offender and the juvenile criminal. It also considers the development of policing, the systems of capital punishment and the transportation of offenders overseas, as well as the evolution of both local and convict prison systems. The discussion primarily investigates those who were drawn into the criminal justice system and the attitudes towards and mechanisms to address crime and offenders. The book draws together original research by the author to locate these broader developments and provides detailed case studies illuminating the lives of those who experienced the criminal justice system and how these changes were experienced in provincial England.

With an emphasis on the penal system and case studies on offenders' lives and on provincial criminal justice, this book will be useful to academics and students interested in criminal justice, history and penology, as well as being of interest to the general reader.

‘This book will very quickly and deservedly become a well-thumbed and leading reference point for everyone interested in nineteenth-century crime. Johnston has produced an eminently readable and engaging review of how society perceived, rationalized and responded to criminal activity during this period. The text expertly and seamlessly synthesizes the existing literature with real-life case studies and archive material, creating a rich and vivid narrative. Johnston has truly earned her place amongst the elite writers in this field.’

Kim Stevenson, Professor of SocioLegal History, Plymouth Law School, UK

‘This valuable and wide-ranging study illuminates changing public and official attitudes toward crime, criminality and offenders across the long nineteenth century. It charts the evolving English criminal justice system through attention to provincial offenders and local prisons, as well as the increasing penal reach of central government. The detailed and often poignant case studies of individual adult and juvenile offenders add depth to our understanding of offenders’ lives and behaviour and of the wider impacts of summary justice, penal servitude, transportation and capital punishment.’

Vivien Miller, Associate Professor, American and Canadian Studies, University of Nottingham, UK

‘This is a comprehensive, accessible and well-written text, which links effectively the different sectors of the nineteenth-century English criminal justice system. The author offers a multidimensional analysis, highlighting the impact of changing contexts and attitudes, engaging with key areas of historical debate and presenting evocative, in-depth case studies in each chapter. The latter in particular will help bring the nineteenth-century criminal justice system and its impact on individual offenders to life. In addition, this book includes a fascinating range of primary source examples and images, always supporting arguments made with plenty of evidence. This book will provide an excellent introduction to the nineteenth-century criminal justice system in England and its impact on those who were subject to its mechanisms.’

Alyson Brown, Professor of History, Edge Hill University, UK

Crime in England 1815–1880

Crime in England 1815–1880 provides a unique insight into views on crime and criminality and the operation of the criminal justice system in England from the early to the late nineteenth century.

This book examines the perceived problem and causes of crime, views about offenders and the consequences of these views for the treatment of offenders in the criminal justice system. The book explores the perceived causes of criminality, as well as concerns about particular groups of offenders, such as the ‘criminal classes’ and the ‘habitual offender’, the female offender and the juvenile criminal. It also considers the development of policing, the systems of capital punishment and the transportation of offenders overseas, as well as the evolution of both local and convict prison systems. The discussion primarily investigates those who were drawn into the criminal justice system and the attitudes towards and mechanisms to address crime and offenders. The book draws together original research by the author to locate these broader developments and provides detailed case studies illuminating the lives of those who experienced the criminal justice system and how these changes were experienced in provincial England.

With an emphasis on the penal system and case studies on offenders’ lives and on provincial criminal justice, this book will be useful to academics and students interested in criminal justice, history and penology, as well as being of interest to the general reader.

Helen Johnston is Senior Lecturer in Criminology at the University of Hull. Her research interests lie in the history of crime and punishment, particularly in the penal system and offenders lives during the nineteenth and early twentieth century. She is the editor of Punishment & Control in Historical Perspective (Palgrave Macmillan, 2008) and co-editor of Prison Readings with Yvonne Jewkes (Willan, 2006).

History of Crime in the UK and Ireland

Series editor: Professor Barry Godfrey

Rarely do we get the opportunity to study criminal history across the British Isles, or across such a long time period. History of Crime in the UK and Ireland is a series which provides an opportunity to contrast experiences in various geographical regions and determine how these situations changed – with slow evolution or dramatic speed – and with what results. It brings together data, thought, opinion, and new theories from an established group of scholars that draw upon a wide range of existing and new research. Using case studies, examples from contemporary media, biographical life studies, thoughts and ideas on new historical methods, the authors construct lively debates on crime and the law, policing, prosecution, and punishment. Together, this series of books builds up a rich but accessible history of crime and its control in the British Isles.

1. Crime in England 1688–1815
   David J. Cox
2. Crime in England 1880–1945
   Barry Godfrey
3. Crime in England 1815–1880
   Helen Johnston

Crime in England 1815–1880

Experiencing the criminal justice system

Helen Johnston

First published 2015

by Routledge

2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN

and by Routledge

605 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017

Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business

© 2015 Helen Johnston

The right of Helen Johnston to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by her in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers.

Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation without intent to infringe.

British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Johnston, Helen

Crime in England 1815–1880: experiencing the criminal justice system / Helen Johnston.

page cm.—(History of crime in the UK and Ireland)

1. Criminal justice, Administration of—England—History—19th century. 2. Crime—England—History—19th century. I. Title.

HV9960.G72E548 2015

364.941’09034—dc23

2014033238

ISBN: 978-1-84392-954-3 (hbk)

ISBN: 978-1-84392-953-6 (pbk)

ISBN: 978-1-315-76940-0 (ebk)

DOI: 10.4324/9781315769400

Typeset in Bembo

by Book Now Ltd, London

Contents

• List of illustrations
• Acknowledgements
• Abbreviations
• Introduction
• 1 The causes of crime
• 2 The criminal classes and the ‘habitual’ offender: identifying and recording the criminal
• 3 Policing England, 1815–1880
• 4 Capital and corporal punishments: from public to private
• 5 Transportation: convicts to the colonies
• 6 Local prisons: diversity, discipline, centralisation
• 7 Convict prisons: experiencing penal servitude
• 8 Women, crime and custody
• 9 Juvenile offenders: responding to the problem of juvenile crime
• Concluding remarks
• References
• Index

Table of contents

• Cover Page
• Frontmatter 1
• Half Title Page
• Frontmatter 2
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Table of Contents
• Dedication
• List of illustrations
• Acknowledgements
• Abbreviations
• Introduction
• 1 The causes of crime
• 2 The criminal classes and the ‘habitual’ offender: identifying and recording the criminal
• 3 Policing England, 1815–1880
• 4 Capital and corporal punishments: from public to private
• 5 Transportation: convicts to the colonies
• 6 Local prisons: diversity, discipline, centralisation
• 7 Convict prisons: experiencing penal servitude
• 8 Women, crime and custody
• 9 Juvenile offenders: responding to the problem of juvenile crime
• Concluding remarks
• References
• Index