The History Hub.
CRIME AND PUNISHMENT IN THE VICTORIAN ERA
Why did the crime rate grow?
The Victorian Era arrived hard on the heels of the Industrial Revolution. This was a time when many workers were moving into the city from the countryside to find jobs in the factories. In 1801 20 per cent of the population lived in towns but by 1901 this had risen to 75 per cent. These jobs were low paid and therefore the working class tended to live in the same areas as the poor. Often, such a flood of workers meant there were not always enough jobs to go around and so unemployment in cities also grew. These low paid or poor areas became known as slums. With so many more people in the cities, particularly the poor, the crime rate grew rapidly. The Victorians were very worried with the rapid growth in crime and wondered what to do about it...........................................................
How did the Victorians deal with criminals?
The Victorians believed in self help and hard work; you got out of life what you put in. If a person was poor it was their fault, only they could do something about it. Naturally there was little sympathy given to those who committed crimes, no matter what their circumstances. Victorian punishments were based on revenge and deterrence. Punishments were harsh so that others would be too scared to commit the same crime (this is known as a deterrent), for example, if you saw someone being told off in class, would you commit the same mistake they did knowing you too would be told off? It was important to the Victorians that the criminal suffered in order to learn his lesson and therefore not commit the crime again.
How is this different from the type of punishment that we have today?
TToday we try to strike a balance between revenge and rehabilitation. The punishment is designed to fit the crime. For example if a crime is so bad that the criminal is deemed a risk to society, they are kept in prison. But we also try to rehabilitate criminals, this means to improve them so they can return to society as a functioning person. In prison criminals may have access to schooling, or programmes to gain qualifications.
