10 – Crime & Punishment (Or Lack Of)
Crime was rampant in urban areas during the 19th century. The enormous growth in population meant more criminals and more opportunities to commit a crime. A lot of the new criminals were uneducated and unskilled people who moved from rural areas although poor immigrants also stole to make ends meet. If you didn’t have a job, your main source of income had to be through crime; otherwise, you would starve.
Drunkenness was a major factor in violent crime during the Industrial Revolution. It was normal for lower-class citizens to get drunk on very cheap booze on a daily basis. As a result, arguments quickly got out of hand which led to violent quarrels that occasionally turned deadly. Also, by spending so much money on booze, these individuals struggled to pay for food and rent, so crime was one of the few options left on the table.
It is also a fact that getting away with a criminal offense was a lot easier than today. For instance, the first fingerprint identification wasn’t made until 1892. In fact, there was no real police force in the UK until the creation of the Metropolitan Police by Sir Robert Peel in 1829. Even then, the standard of officer was poor, and only 600 of the original 2,800 kept their jobs. In the United States, the police were more inclined to victimize the working class than serve and protect. This approach led to riots in Chicago on four occasions from 1867 to 1894.
The standard of justice wasn’t much better. The lack of sophisticated policing and investigation methods meant that not only did criminals escape, but innocent people were also often punished. Overall, we have a lot to be grateful for in the 21st century because life in the 19th century sucked; and this is a fact even before you take slavery into account.
Where did we find this stuff? Here are our sources:
Advances in Calcium Phosphate Biomaterials – edited by Besim Ben-Nissan
The macabre world of books bound in human skin – BBC
Mount Alexander Mail – January 19, 1880
Geelong Advertiser – February 23, 1892
The Richmond River Herald and Northern Districts Advertiser – April 6, 1888
New York Times: When Horses Posed a Public Health Hazard – Jennifer 8. Lee
Life & Death in the 19th Century – Geoff’s Genealogy
U.S. History Scene: Immigrants, Cities, and Disease – Ted Brackemyre
Working Conditions in Factories – Gale Encyclopedia of U.S. Economic History
The Industrial Revolution Working and Living Conditions – Ankur Poddar on Weebly
Infanticide and the Murder of Bastard Children – Capital Punishment UK.org