Crime and Society in England, 1750-1900

The history of crime and criminal justice is one of the most popular areas of modern social and cultural history. This third edition of Crime and Society in England, 1750-1900 draws on recent research to assess the changes in the understanding of crime, policing, the courts and penal sanctions in England as the country industrialised and urbanised during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Written in a clear and accessible manner, the book examines:

• perceptions of criminality during the period
• the significance of contemporary notions of class and gender in understanding and formulating the image of the criminal
• developments in policing
• the spread of summary punishment
• the increasing formality of the courts
• the shifting ideas that led to a decline in corporal and capital punishments and an increasing focus on prison

As in previous editions, the book challenges the view that crime can be attributed to the behaviour of a criminal class and that changes in the criminal justice system resulted from the vision of far-sighted reformers. This new edition also brings the subject up to date by reflecting recent shifts away from class towards gender analysis, and the growing interest in violence as opposed to property crime.

Written by an acknowledged expert in the field, the third edition of Crime and Society in England, 1750-1900 is essential reading for students of English social history.

Clive Emsley is Professor of History and co-director of the International Centre for Comparative Criminological Research at the Open University.