The order part of criminal activities is the most unlike the modern form today. Solicitors were rarely used in court cases because they were far too expensive. The cases that were normally heard in the Old Bailey last a matter of minutes. During this time the jury would never leave the court. The punishments in the early 19th century was often public execution, however, when public execution ended in 1868 so did the amount of offences punishable by death.
The police of the late eighteenth century were generally unprepared for the arrival of such a strong character as Jack the Ripper. If the police had been formed earlier it is possible that advances would have been made to catch the killer but from this clear description, the police were obviously not organised enough.
Word count: 492
History Coursework (Question 2) By Thomas Stevenson
Why did the Whitechapel murders attract so much attention in 1888?
Have you ever heard of a man who murders women and has no apparent reason? Have you heard of a murderer who slashes the victim’s bodies and removes their organs? It’s disturbing, however, it was a true story in the autumn days of 1888.
Communication was just starting to lift off and things that were happening in the country could be heard at least in the same week. The media also lifted off and any story they could get their hands on was a good story. And also at this time, more people were becoming literate and the cheap papers were accessible to all classes However the local paranoia, and lack of protection and security was becoming unnerving in 1888, how would the police react to a so-called, “psycho serial killer!”
Although there had been a serial killer in the past it was never able to tell others about the local chat. As soon as the local and national newspapers heard of this terrifying story, they decided to make it the story of the century. The facts were exaggerated to an unbelievable extent. Also at this time, more people were becoming literate, When the killer had finished his work, the press decided to create disasters for the public to read. The media made it possible for the Whitechapel murders and Jack the ripper to attract all the attention in 1888.
Also in 1888, it was a chance for the police to prove their worth. They had been given a job and it appeared they were not doing it very well. The public were slowly beginning to dislike the police and enjoyed reading about their failures (so-called Victorian Fascination.) Considering this crime was never solved it gave a chance for gossip to run about the ineffectiveness and the excitement of a new unsolved mystery. With new discoveries in much of the world, a new stage production came to town as well. The Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde blew the dust off science in the dark city of London and opened the door to constant fear of uncertainty.
This paranoia was always funded by the brutality of the murders by Jack the Ripper. Petty crime was not unusual in London at this time, but a crime like those committed by Jack the Ripper was rarely ever seen, if at all.
Have you ever heard of a man who murders women and has no apparent reason? Have you heard of a murderer who slashes the victim’s bodies and removes their organs? In 1888 a man did this, he attracted a lot of attention with the help of lies and media involvement in the case. The attention grew from all over the country, due to the brutality of the murders and the reaction, over-dramatization of the papers, this unknown figure lurking in London, became known by none other than Jack the Ripper.
Word count: 465
History Coursework (Question 3) By Thomas Stevenson
Why were the police unable to catch Jack the Ripper?
In 1888 the serial killer, named no other than Jack the Ripper managed to avoid the grasps of the city of London police and the metropolitan police. This story was so well known, how was it possible that Jack the Ripper disappeared? With all the investigations, witness statements, and evidence, why were the police forces unable to catch Jack the Ripper?
The new police forces in London, did not quite know how to deal with such a brutal crime. The contradictory witness statements and initially thinking that Jack was local sent the police down the wrong leads and wasted a lot of time that could have been spent on locating the killer. Not only that but the new police forces faced were the lack of forensic science, including the lack of DNA testing and fingerprints used today (because of this the only way to catch Jack was by either catching him in the act or making him confess.) In their training the police force were trained to deter crimes rather than solve them and in this case, there was no way to deter the crime than solve the crimes.
Also, a conflict broke out in the investigation was between the Metropolitan Police Force and the City of London Police. They did not want to cooperate with each other believing they could take all the credit for themselves/ each other. One major conflict that showed was at the death of Catherine Eddowes. The modern day crime was washing away the chalk writing/ evidence, “The Jewes are the men who will not be blamed for nothing.” Whether it was relevant to the case or not the police still washed away evidence out of spite and would been seen as a federal offence in the modern world.
The victims themselves had a rule breaking nature. They were all prostitutes who were either alcoholics or often spent most of their nights down at the local pubs. Due to their occupation, and lack of family and friends, it was hard to track their exact locations at certain time periods making it harder for the police to solve the investigation. The victims also hard no apparent connection to each other, other than their occupation; because of this it made it hard and virtually impossible for the police to uncover or discover a motive for the murders. This baffled the police and made a constant barrier for them to remove.
It also appeared that Jack had always planned the murders and how they would take place. It appears this way as the murders always occurred at night, so he could slip away into the night undetected. By leaving no clues or evidence, and working quickly (e.g. double murder with Elizabeth Stride and Catherine Eddowes.)
Suspects were investigated but often they had alibis or no connections at all. The eyewitness description of the killer did not help either as it was very vague and left room for almost every man in Whitechapel to be investigated. Although the suspect obviously had medical knowledge, it still was not enough to narrow down the suspect list.
The origins of the murders in Whitechapel, made it a lot more difficult for the police to work: at this period in time, the public generally did not like the police due to the fact they had not been around long and had suddenly come into a lot of power. Along drunkenness and depravity in the streets Racists were not uncommon in Whitechapel. The tension between groups made it much more difficult for the police and the busy working streets also washed away a lot of evidence. .
Due to the circumstances of the time, the police did the best they could apart from not cooperating with each other (e.g. washing away the chalk writing.) They had unfortunate circumstances such as the place of the murders and lack of technology to help them through the investigation.
Word count: 639
Coursework
By
Thomas Stevenson
