Books in the Routledge SOLON Explorations in Crime and Criminal Justice Histories series

The thirteen essays in this collection are based on exciting new research that explores the evolution and adaptation of criminal justice and penal systems, largely from the early-nineteenth century to the present. Journeying into and unlocking different national and international penal archives, and drawing on diverse analytical approaches, the essays forge new connections between historical and contemporary issues in crime, prisons, policing, and penal cultures, and challenge traditional western democratic historiographies of crime and punishment and categorisations of offenders, police and ex-offenders.

This book tells the story of the star class, a segregated division for first offenders in English convict prisons; known informally as 'star men', convicts assigned to the division were identified by a red star sewn to their uniforms. 'Star Men' in English Convict Prisons, 1879-1948 investigates the origins of the star class in the years leading up to its establishment in 1879, and charts its subsequent development during the late-Victorian, Edwardian, and interwar decades.To what extent did the star class serve to shield 'gentleman convicts' from their social inferiors and allow them a measure of privilege? What was the precise nature of the 'contamination' by which they and other 'accidental criminals' were believed to be threatened? And why, for the first twenty years of its existence, were first offenders convicted of 'unnatural crimes' barred from the division? To explore these questions, the book considers the making and implementation of penal policy by senior civil servants and prison administrators, and the daily life and work of prisoners at policy's receiving end. It re-examines evolving notions of criminality, the competing aims of reformation and deterrence, and the role and changing nature of prison labour. Along the way, readers will encounter an array of star men, including arsonists, abortionists, sex offenders and reprieved murderers, disgraced bankers, light-fingered postmen, bent solicitors, and perjuring policemen.Taking a fresh look at English prison history through converging lenses of class, sexuality, and labour, 'Star Men' in English Convict Prisons, 1879-1948 will be of great interest to penal historians and historical criminologists, and to scholars working on related aspects of modern British history.

This edited collection offers multi-disciplinary reflections and analysis on a variety of themes centred on nineteenth century executions in the UK, many specifically related to the fundamental change in capital punishment culture as the execution moved from the public arena to behind the prison wall. By examining a period of dramatic change in punishment practice, this collection of essays provides a fresh historical perspective on nineteenth century execution culture, with a focus on Scotland, Wales and the regions of England.From Public Spectacle to Hidden Ritual has two parts. Part 1 addresses the criminal body and the witnessing of executions in the nineteenth century, including studies of the execution crowd and executioners' memoirs, as well as reflections on the experience of narratives around capital punishment in museums in the present day. Part 2 explores the treatment of the execution experience in the print media, from the nineteenth and into the twentieth century.The collection draws together contributions from the fields of Heritage and Museum Studies, History, Law, Legal History and Literary Studies, to shed new light on execution culture in nineteenth century Britain. This volume will be of interest to students and academics in the fields of criminology, heritage and museum studies, history, law, legal history, medical humanities and socio-legal studies.

This volume resents the first major study of the limits of criminological positivism in the West and establishes the subject as a field of interest and explores three comparative elements: the differing national experiences within the civil law world; differences and similarities between civil law and common law regimes.

This book explores historical accounts of organised crime and terrorism, drawing on research from around the world in such areas as the USA, UK, Ireland, France, Colombia, Somalia, Burma, and Trinidad and Tobago.

This book considers police leadership and the role of Chief Constables from 1835 to the present day, the factors affecting their leadership, management and ideology and how these impacted upon the organization and operation of their forces.

This book explores historical accounts of organised crime and terrorism, drawing on research from around the world in such areas as the USA, UK, Ireland, France, Colombia, Somalia, Burma, and Trinidad and Tobago.

This book considers police leadership and the role of Chief Constables from 1835 to the present day, the factors affecting their leadership, management and ideology and how these impacted upon the organization and operation of their forces.

This volume brings together a range of work by leading writers in the field and engages with the comparative dimensions of shame, blame, and culpability and their fundamentally important impact upon modern multicultural states. Tracing use, abuse, and negotiation between the 17th and 20th centuries in a number of different geographical locations, this book forms a part of the movement within criminal and legal history to turn the focus away from capital and serious crime to look at the impact of lesser (and more common) criminality which has a daily impact on people¿s lives. In studying the interaction of how people understand the boundaries of acceptable behaviour, the volume illustrates perceptions of crime and morality at work in previously unstudied societies at different historical junctures.

The thirteen essays in this collection are based on exciting new research that explores the evolution and adaptation of criminal justice and penal systems, largely from the early-nineteenth century to the present. Journeying into and unlocking different national and international penal archives, and drawing on diverse analytical approaches, the essays forge new connections between historical and contemporary issues in crime, prisons, policing, and penal cultures, and challenge traditional western democratic historiographies of crime and punishment and categorisations of offenders, police and ex-offenders.

This volume brings together a range of work by leading writers in the field and engages with the comparative dimensions of shame, blame, and culpability and their fundamentally important impact upon modern multicultural states. Tracing use, abuse, and negotiation between the 17th and 20th centuries in a number of different geographical locations, this book forms a part of the movement within criminal and legal history to turn the focus away from capital and serious crime to look at the impact of lesser (and more common) criminality which has a daily impact on people¿s lives. In studying the interaction of how people understand the boundaries of acceptable behaviour, the volume illustrates perceptions of crime and morality at work in previously unstudied societies at different historical junctures.

This edited collection offers multi-disciplinary reflections and analysis on a variety of themes centred on nineteenth century executions in the UK, many specifically related to the fundamental change in capital punishment culture as the execution moved from the public arena to behind the prison wall.