Crime, Justice and Discretion in England 1740-1820

by King, Peter

• ISBN13: 9780198229100
• ISBN10: 0198229100
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2000-10-26
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

The criminal law has often been seen as central to the rule of the 18th century landed elite. Within detailed studies of every stage of the criminal process this volume explores key issues such as who used the law, for what purposes and with what effects It then challenges the view that the law was primarily the instrument of a small elite, portraying it instead as an arena of struggle, negotiation and compromise used by many different social groups. The criminal justice system may have sometimes been vulnerable to power but it was also useful in limiting it.

Author Biography

Peter King is Professor of Social History at University College Northampton.

Table of Contents

List of Figures and Maps	x
List of Tables	xi
List of Abbreviations	xiii
Introduction	1	(16)
PART 1 PRETRIAL PROCESSES
Victims, Informal Negotiations, and Prosecution Options	17	(30)
Resources Available to Victims: Public Funding, Prosecution Associations, Print, and Policing	47	(35)
Magistrates and Summary Courts	82	(47)
PART 2 OFFENCES AND OFFENDERS
Patterns of Crime and Patterns of Deprivation	129	(40)
The Offenders: Property Crime and Life-Cycle Change	169	(52)
PART 3 FROM TRIAL TO PUNISHMENT
Trials, Verdicts, and Courtroom Interactions	221	(38)
Sentencing Policy and the Impact of Gender and Age	259	(38)
Pardoning Policies: The Good Mind and the Bad	297	(37)
Rituals of Punishment	334	(19)
Conclusion: Law and Social Relations, 1740-1820	353	(22)
Index	375