Victorian Convicts: 100 Criminal Lives

Helen Johnston · Barry Godfrey · David J. Cox

Mar 2016 · Pen and Sword

About this ebook

“An interesting introduction to Victorian crimes, the people who committed them, and how effective rehabilitation may have been.” —Ripperologist Magazine
 
What was life like in the Victorian underworld—who were the criminals, what crimes did they commit, how did they come to a criminal career, and what happened to them after they were released from prison? Victorian Convicts, by telling the stories of a hundred criminal men and women, gives the reader an insight into their families and social background, the conditions in which they lived, their relationships and working lives, and their offences. They reveal how these individuals were treated by the justice and penal system of 150 years ago, and how they were regarded by the wider world around them. Such a rare and authentic insight into life in and out of prison will be fascinating reading for anyone who is interested in the history of crime and criminals, in legal and prison history and in British society in the nineteenth century.
 
“A fascinating, informative and educational read providing the history of these one hundred individuals who lived so long ago but who can teach us today the practices of the Victorian penal system and the struggles of the era.” —Crime Traveller
 
“It is intriguing and very readable opening a window into lives of so many unfortunates. If you have an interest in police history this work, particularly details of numerous convictions and what followed after the court case was concluded, will be of interest.” —Surrey Constabulary History Journal

About the author

Professor Barry Godfrey is Professor of Social Justice at the University of Liverpool and Honorary Professor of Xi'an Jiaotong Liverpool University, China. Among his many publications are _Crime, Wartime and Control: Protecting the Population of a Blitzed City, 1939–1945_ (with P. Adey and David Cox), _Victorian Convicts: 100 Criminal Lives_ (with Helen Johnston and David Cox) and _Crime and Justice Since 1750_ (with Paul Lawrence).