The Effects of British Penal Reform on Juvenile Delinquency, 1895-1900
Location
CSU 202
Start Date
24-4-2007 10:45 AM
End Date
24-4-2007 12:30 PM
Student's Major
History
Student's College
Social and Behavioral Sciences
Mentor's Name
Larry Witherell
Mentor's Department
History
Mentor's College
Social and Behavioral Sciences
Description
The British penal reforms of the late nineteenth century served to change the face of both punishment for crime and the nature of crime itself. Reform acts, particularly those dealing with sentencing, corporal punishment, and incarceration had a profound effect on criminality. This project will focus on how these reforms affected the nature of juvenile crime and criminals in Victorian Britain, particularly between 1895 and 1900.
In the mid-nineteenth century, juvenile delinquency was fairly common social situation. It was commonplace in London society especially, where bands of young pickpockets and beggars would comb the city streets causing trouble. The archaic prison system was not well-equipped to deal with the load of criminals heaped upon it. Jails were overcrowded and often served as breeding-grounds for organized crime. Sentencing of criminals was also problematic, as sentences often did not accurately reflect the gravity of a crime. By the 1870s, legislators were growing anxious about the growing number of criminals, especially in the large cities, and the lack of means to deal with them.
This project will look at how these reforms changed the face of juvenile delinquency in Britain between the years of 1895 and 1900, and utilize statistical evidence from parliamentary papers; Parliamentary debates; contemporary newspapers and periodicals; and secondary scholarship.
The Effects of British Penal Reform on Juvenile Delinquency, 1895-1900
CSU 202
The British penal reforms of the late nineteenth century served to change the face of both punishment for crime and the nature of crime itself. Reform acts, particularly those dealing with sentencing, corporal punishment, and incarceration had a profound effect on criminality. This project will focus on how these reforms affected the nature of juvenile crime and criminals in Victorian Britain, particularly between 1895 and 1900.
In the mid-nineteenth century, juvenile delinquency was fairly common social situation. It was commonplace in London society especially, where bands of young pickpockets and beggars would comb the city streets causing trouble. The archaic prison system was not well-equipped to deal with the load of criminals heaped upon it. Jails were overcrowded and often served as breeding-grounds for organized crime. Sentencing of criminals was also problematic, as sentences often did not accurately reflect the gravity of a crime. By the 1870s, legislators were growing anxious about the growing number of criminals, especially in the large cities, and the lack of means to deal with them.
This project will look at how these reforms changed the face of juvenile delinquency in Britain between the years of 1895 and 1900, and utilize statistical evidence from parliamentary papers; Parliamentary debates; contemporary newspapers and periodicals; and secondary scholarship.
Recommended Citation
Tieck, Abigail A.. "The Effects of British Penal Reform on Juvenile Delinquency, 1895-1900." Undergraduate Research Symposium, Mankato, MN, April 24, 2007.
https://cornerstone.lib.mnsu.edu/urs/2007/oral-session-12/6
