Hooligans, Harlots, and Hangmen

This detailed study of the criminal justice system in Victorian Britain highlights the dilemmas facing those responsible for administering justice and protecting society from "the criminal." Encompassing the crimes of the never-identified Jack the Ripper, as well as many other equally intriguing criminals, Hooligans, Harlots, and Hangmen: Crime and Punishment in Victorian Britain is a detailed study of the criminal justice system as it evolved from the accession of Queen Victoria in 1837 to the outbreak of the "Great War" in 1914. The first section of the book considers crimes and criminals, while the second looks at the ways in which the Victorians sought to explain this deviant behavior. The third section focuses on the creation of criminals through the work of the constabulary and the courts. The final section considers the changing ways in which criminals were punished as the scaffold gave way to the prison as the dominant means of punishment. A brief introduction and conclusion set Victorian crime into its broader sociopolitical context and relates the issues society grappled with then to those of the present day.

The author is pleased with the kind words he received for the first edition:
To say this is totally unlike anything I've ever read before would be an understatement...aliens, religion, spirituality, humanity...looking forward to the rest of the series! -Sherri Warner, Indie Book Reviewers
In this dangerous time when people are strengthening borders and compassion is at an all-time low, David Taylor's book contains an enlightened message. -Steve Hackett, musician and composer, lead guitarist for Genesis
Book Two: The Rejected Counsel of Oomb Book Three: Centers of the Universe (first editions both available from Virtualbookworm) HOWEVER, family and friends continue to insist the author's real towering achievement is a homemade chocolate chip cookie.

Illustrations Series Foreword Preface Introduction: Crime and Its Context PART I: CRIME AND CRIMINALS Chapter 1 Crime in Victorian Britain: Miracle or Mirage? Chapter 2 Crimes of Violence Chapter 3 Garroters, Bank Robbers, and Poachers Chapter 4 Sex and Drugs PART II: EXPLAINING THE CRIMINAL Chapter 5 The Malevolent Male Chapter 6 Harlots and Hooligans PART III: COURTS AND COPPERS Chapter 7 Creating Criminals: Victorian Courts Chapter 8 The Creation of a Policed Society PART IV: PUNISHMENT Chapter 9 The Death Penalty: Dismantling the Bloody Code in Early Victorian Britain Chapter 10 The Death Penalty: The Abolition of Public Executions and the Failure of Total Abolition Chapter 11 Prison and the Problem of Secondary Punishment: Grinding Men Good Chapter 12 Prison and the Problem of Secondary Punishment: Grinding Men Down Chapter 13 Prison and the Problem of Secondary Punishment: The Treatment of Female and Juvenile Offenders Chapter 14 Afterword Notes Bibliography Index