Criminal Conversations by Judith Rowbotham

More active JPs meant more men available to hear complaints and issue warrants and the effective prosecution of crime increased. The number of new magistrates increased from about 300 per year in 1820 to 400 by 1830. Political unrest weakened some of the usual factors that discouraged crime. The correlation suggests that victims might have been more ready to prosecute because of the general feeling of insecurity and offenders more likely to steal because of economic hardship.

What is noticeable about the peaks in crime, from 1825 to a peak in 1832, a decline followed by another upswing to a peak in 1842 and again in 1848 is that they coincided with years marked by economic depression and political unrest. Moreover, the increase seems to have been as marked in rural counties like Bedfordshire as it was overall. The increase in population was significant during these years but it was well below the increase measured in crime statistics. The sharp increase in crime figures after 1825 that continued until mid-century is well known, though not thoroughly explained. Although the behaviour of corrupt businessmen led to social outrage and often long prison sentences, they were generally seen as ‘rotten apples’ rather than as members of the ‘criminal classes’. In 1882, over a £1 million was embezzled from Jardine Matheson and in 1897 millions were embezzled from Baring Brothers Bank. Many investors lost money in the 1840s railway fraud scandal. Huge business venture, operating with little supervision, provided opportunities for crooked dealings and the development of white-collar crime. Robbing travellers on the railways was a new crime, especially before the introduction of corridor trains.

In the next eighty years, only three more cases were tried in 1832, 1877 and a final case in 1897. For example, the last series of prosecutions for highway robbery were heard at the Old Bailey were in 1830. Highway robbery died out as roads became less isolated with more traffic, more patrols and more turnpike gates. This was bound to have an impact on crime. The late-eighteenth and early-nineteenth century saw major changes in Britain. The energies of law enforcement were focused on maintaining order and defending property.

Criminal Conversations by Judith Rowbotham