Crime was Rampant During the Victorian Age in England

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The Victorian Age in England was a time when crime was rampant, people were starving, and life was generally difficult. In these times, there were really only two social classes, the upper class, and the lower class. Everyone in the lower class had troubles, but children had it the hardest. While most everyone had a difficult life, it was worst for children; forcing them towards crime and leading them into the arms of prison. People who are starving and poor turn to crime to survive. Joyce Salisbury and Andrew Kersten state, “because families in the working class were generally large, more often than not, there was little to no food” (Salisbury and Kersten, Law and Crime in Victorian England). Children in these families would try to steal either money to buy food, or just steal small articles of food like a slice of bread. Stealing was the most common crime in Victorian England because most of the stolen goods were food. Because children were considered morally responsible when they reached the age of seven, children got in trouble quickly, and their actions often had dire consequences (Salisbury and Kersten, Law and crime in Victorian England). Children had the weight of their actions on their shoulders at such a young age, and whatever they did stuck with them until they grew older and later died. “There were two categories of crime: indictable and summary” (Salisbury and Kersten, Law and crime in Victorian England). Indictable crimes, major crimes, consisted of murder, rape, burglary, larceny, and fraud. Less dramatic crimes were called summary crimes. Summary crimes included public drunkenness, vandalism, poaching, and petty theft. Children partook mostly in summary crimes, with a few cases of indictable crim... ... middle of paper ... ...t jobs because of education, although it was limited (Salisbury and Kersten, Law in Crime in Victorian England). Although the modern day view of the Victorian Age is one of ornate houses and prosperous times, the reality was for most people times were difficult. The people who suffered the most were the least fortunate, meaning children in poor families. As a result, these children of the poor were pushed into a life of crime which quite often the consequences were a life in prison. Works Cited Salisbury, Joyce E. and Andrew E. Kersten. "Food & Drink in Victorian England." Daily Life through History. ABC-CLIO, 2014. Web. 31 Jan. 2014. Salisbury, Joyce and Andrew Kersten. "Law and Crime in Victorian England." Daily Life through History. ABC-CLIO, 2014. Web. 31 Jan. 2014. Swisher, Clarice. Victorian England. San Diego, CA: Greenhaven, 2000. Print

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