NetGalley ARC | The Criminal Classes: Who Does Society Fear and Why?

I received a free digital ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Rating ⭐⭐⭐

This one is hard for me to review and I am not sure why. I liked the chapters dealing with earlier periods much better than more modern times. That will surprise no one, because history is my favorite thing and I chose this one for that aspect as much as the psychological/sociological/social aspects. Even so, it took me a bit longe to read than it should have, because I struggled to keep going through the more modern periods.

The authors begin with those Victorians who pretended to hate the sensationalism but really loved all the sordid details so much. The book then moves through the decades up to the modern drug trade and the violence that comes with it. The authors explore reactions to these crimes, laws enacted to deter them - yet how effective are they, really? They also examine the role of media in crime, the part I found most interesting. The media does an excellent job telling us who we should be afraid of, even if they are completely wrong. The authors also discuss various groups who have been labeled as those 'criminal classes' and it will suprise no one that those targeted are typially young and/or ethnic/racial minorities, because this world sucks.

One strength the book has its use of historical artefacts. I am always partial to books that use the material and show it off in some way. The authors chose well, especially with court records/testimonies, newspaper coverage of the times, etc. Another strength is that it took opportunities to compare real live criminals with their fictional counterparts. I was familiar with some, but not all.

The purpose though, is not simply to list some crimes committed in the last 150-ish years and their punishments. The authors look specifically at who these so-called 'criminal classes' are and why we fear them so much. They also look at how said punishment as evolved, and whether or not these consequences are all that effective in stopping crime.

Recommended.