Were Reform Schools an effective response to mid 19th century Juvenile crime?
Matt Eagles (322914) Were Reform Schools an effective response to mid 19th century Juvenile crime? From the onset of the Industrial revolution, Britain saw overcrowding in all of her major cities. The workforce that previously found its employment in agriculture now had to descend upon the cities in order to survive. These large numbers of people were focused in small areas around British cities, and without the readiness of employment or occupation there was a high crime rate complemented by an ever-increasing population. The rise in juvenile or youth based crime took on a massive upsurge during this period in and around the metropolis. Dickens in Oliver Twist paints a portrait of a ragged London with thieves and crime being on every corner, with little or no other option for those involved. This was the case, and posed a serious threat to those who were in positions of influence. Perhaps the major factor in the problem of delinquency was the actual role of the child at this period, there was not a clear definition between the roles of children and adults, the indicative factor was surrounding employment. The big change came from this separation of spheres from adult to child through defining what was a child. Taken for granted throughout the western world in the 21st century, are the social parameters of what a child was and how they were regarded by society, this was defined and ultimately revolutionised during the period of Enlightenment. The changes were not an overnight ideal but one based on the study and insight gained by observing children. The period of the enlightenment bought about a newfound desire for documentation and data collection surrounding children. Aside from many other vital observations in the emergence of the
child, the issue of criminal responsibility arose and was addressed. Questions lay with the ability of children to recognise right from wrong, Rousseau’s Innocent child raised the theory that the child was a pure and unsullied article ready to be educated and shaped for the good of society and the world in which they exist. The role of the child was to change dramatically from being fellow breadwinners within a household to that in need of nurturing. The 1840’s marked the changing period for the child, with the increase of data gatherings and royal commissions investigating child labour, it became ...
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child, the issue of criminal responsibility arose and was addressed. Questions lay with the ability of children to recognise right from wrong, Rousseau’s Innocent child raised the theory that the child was a pure and unsullied article ready to be educated and shaped for the good of society and the world in which they exist. The role of the child was to change dramatically from being fellow breadwinners within a household to that in need of nurturing. The 1840’s marked the changing period for the child, with the increase of data gatherings and royal commissions investigating child labour, it became evident that childhood was being neglected and this was having contributory effects on the behavioural patterns of the child. The family unit was viewed as the key to a successful and prosperous nation, whilst also being the first line of defence in the battle against juvenile delinquency. With the establishment of the definitions between child and adult and the new mindset regarding Rousseauian Naturalism towards children’s responsibilities, it was also apparent that there needed to be a separation of punishments for those who committed crimes. At present children were simply shipped off with the adults to prisons, there they would be further corrupted and rather than be reformed instead be conditioned into hardened criminals. The introduction of reform schools were pioneered by figures such as Mary Carpenter, a middle class liberal with a strong Unitarian belief system established her own reformatory for boys after witnessing a boy running down the street in filthy, ragged clothing. The colleague Carpenter was with, the renowned American philanthropist Dr Joseph Tuckerman said that 'the boy should be followed to his home and seen after' (quoted in Young and Ashton 1956: 166). That event was in1833 and perhaps acted as a precursor for the welfare of children to this day. Carpenter initiated her work with poor children in and around the slums of her native Bristol in 1846, shocked by the level of delinquency that seemed to be of high representation amongst the poor and impoverished. As Young and Ashton cite 'In this she was faced with the riotous behaviour of untamed and poverty-stricken children, yet she succeeded in holding their interest by her ability and enthusiasm'. In concentrating her efforts on the unruly and difficult members of her ragged school she found the direct correlation between poor family stability and the learning of criminal tendencies from early ages. In 1851 Carpenter published her essay on Reformatory Schools for the Perishing and Dangerous Classes and for Juvenile Offenders, just a year later she opened her own reformatory for boys in Kingswood, Carpenters schools would be structures around the family unit as this was deemed the failings of those who were suffering from delinquency. In the classic liberal state the family was key, home was to be a haven where a healthy home life breads productivity. The reformatory schools would therefore promote this ideal of family. Ultimately a simple replacement for prison the reform schools were established in rural settings away from the sinful cities with a matriarchal and patriarchal figure instilling discipline that was deemed appropriate for children as a social grouping instead of a generic punishment fitting the crime. Since 1816 when the Report of the Committee for Investigating the Alarming Increases of Juvenile Crime in the Metropolis was published it became clear the criteria needed for some form of progress. There emerged some clear guidelines in this report for what made a criminal and the main criteria lay in poor parenting, lack of and desire for education, unattainable employment ambitions, and the loss of religious beliefs. The reform schools could take this as their template for success, if they met these criteria surely reform would occur, the period of enlightenment meant that science prevails and is always right. The reform schools did address these themes yet were deemed unsuccessful, however it was not investigated as to why the system failed instead there was a simple allocation of blame towards those who were the subjects of the social experimentation. Rather than examining society itself for its shortcomings and failings, the poor bore the burden of guilt. This was enforced by the increasing school of thought that emerged from the Evangelicals. Usurping the thoughts of Bentham, Locke and Rousseau about a chid being pure and only corrupted by its surroundings, the evangelicals stated the argument of original sin and all children are inherently tainted. These thought fit to the period of history with the recent atrocities in the French Revolution used as an example of what happens when a liberal stance is used. Combined with the rise of eugenics towards the end of the century, the progress of the reform schools were soon rubbished due to this approach, it was clear the enlightenment humanitarians had been replaced with religious hardliners. Despite all intents and purposes the overall consensus was that reform schools were unsuccessful, Rowntree’s social surveys document how the large majority of reform school goers were to re offend when leaving the schools. However the accuracy of the data compiled by the middle classes may not have reflected the true nature of the outcome of reform schools. The working classes had seen them as a success for the children, Carpenters industrial schools for the children of the poor gave opportunities to learn crafts and skills, much mirrored in the efforts of today’s government in juvenile detention centres, but under the guises of BTEC and GNVQ titles. Further more the attempts to change the working class and poor children of Britain had overlooked the foundations that had built the situation to what it was. A success would have been the sheer fact that while the occupants were in the reform schools there was a chance that the conditioning that had occurred during their lives had the opportunity to be undone, Carpenter herself had no idea of how long the process would take for absolute reform despite her conviction that it could happen. The reform schools had scored many achievements I feel that set the wheels of change for juvenile delinquency. Not so much a revolution but rather an evolution of ideals marked by key goals, the end of transportation in 1867 and the establishment of a children’s court in 1905 were two, as was the 1876 Education Act that initiated Truant Schools and Industrial Day Schools. The society in what people live dictates the outcome of how they behave, for the poor and impoverished society was hard, with little or no opportunities for progress of success of any sort, therefore the people reflected this social climate through their actions. The correlation between crime and poverty is a worldwide problem that is not fully addressed by the most advanced governments around the world today. Bibliography Carpenter, M. (1851) Reformatory Schools for the Children of the Perishing and Dangerous Classes, and for Juvenile Offenders, London. Carpenter, M. (1853) Juvenile Delinquents, their Condition and Treatment, London. Shore, H.(1999) Artful Dodgers:Youth and Crime in Early Nineteenth Century London. Royal Historical Society, Woodbridge. Young, A. F. and Ashton, E. T. (1956) British Social Work in the Nineteenth Century, London: Routledge.
