A Brief History of Crime
Encyclopedia
A Brief History of Crime is the third book by conservative author and journalist Peter Hitchens
published in 2003 and in 2004 under the title The Abolition of Liberty for the paperback edition.
, including a chapter on the author's visit to Wormwood Scrubs
. Hitchens contends that the former principle of "due punishment of responsible persons" has been abandoned in favour of vague modern theories of rehabilitation.
There are two particularly controversial chapters, one on gun laws, and another on capital punishment, suggesting that there is evidence for the effectiveness of the death penalty in deterring certain types of violent crime.
, reviewing it for the New Statesman
, wrote that Hitchens is "so maddeningly,
offensively, reactionary that he makes my muscles clench and my eyes ache", and he questioned whether the liberal policies described by Hitchens in the book in fact exist at all.
David Rose in The Observer
described the book as "a churning, ceaseless rant, akin to the wake of a cross-Channel ferry. It has similar bilious effects" and questioned whether the desperate situation described by Hitchens really exists, citing Oxford, which Rose sees as “a beautiful, enriching city largely at peace with itself, blessed with a low crime rate” (an assessment in stark contrast to Hitchens’s) as an example.
Right-wing newspapers assessed the book more favourably. Bryan Appleyard
, writing in The Sunday Times
, described it as "a marvellous, angry polemic" that accounts for and charts how the British Police force became so "institutionally bureaucratic, sullen, chippy and ineffectual".
In The Sunday Telegraph, Theodore Dalrymple
agreed with the main thrusts of the book, writing "Mr Hitchens places the blame firmly where it belongs: on a supine and pusillanimous political establishment that, for four decades at least, has constantly retreated before the verbal onslaught of liberal intellectuals whose weapons have been mockery allied to sentimental guilt about their prosperous and comfortable lives, and whose aim has been to liberate themselves from personally irksome moral constraints, without regard to the consequences for those less favourably placed in society than themselves".
, and with two chapters – on capital punishment and gun control – removed, appeared in April 2004. Hitchens explained in his weblog in 2010 that the reason for removing the above chapters was so that the book "would be read more widely".
Peter Hitchens
Peter Jonathan Hitchens is an award-winning British columnist and author, noted for his traditionalist conservative stance. He has published five books, including The Abolition of Britain, A Brief History of Crime, The Broken Compass and most recently The Rage Against God. Hitchens writes for...
published in 2003 and in 2004 under the title The Abolition of Liberty for the paperback edition.
Themes
The book challenges a number of commonly-held views about the causes of crime, criticising the opinion that crime is caused by poverty or other forms of social deprivation. It also charts the changes in policing from the 1960s to the present day, and examines and criticises the workings of the modern British prison systemHer Majesty's Prison Service
Her Majesty's Prison Service is a part of the National Offender Management Service of the Government of the United Kingdom tasked with managing most of the prisons within England and Wales...
, including a chapter on the author's visit to Wormwood Scrubs
Wormwood Scrubs (HM Prison)
HM Prison Wormwood Scrubs is a Category B men's prison, located in the Wormwood Scrubs area of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, in inner west London, England. The prison is operated by Her Majesty's Prison Service....
. Hitchens contends that the former principle of "due punishment of responsible persons" has been abandoned in favour of vague modern theories of rehabilitation.
There are two particularly controversial chapters, one on gun laws, and another on capital punishment, suggesting that there is evidence for the effectiveness of the death penalty in deterring certain types of violent crime.
Reception
Left leaning publications were very critical of the book. Johann HariJohann Hari
Johann Hari is an award winning British journalist who has been a columnist at The Independent, the The Huffington Post, and contributed to several other publications. In 2011, Hari was accused of plagiarism; he subsequently was suspended from The Independent and surrendered his 2008 Orwell Prize...
, reviewing it for the New Statesman
New Statesman
New Statesman is a British centre-left political and cultural magazine published weekly in London. Founded in 1913, and connected with leading members of the Fabian Society, the magazine reached a circulation peak in the late 1960s....
, wrote that Hitchens is "so maddeningly,
offensively, reactionary that he makes my muscles clench and my eyes ache", and he questioned whether the liberal policies described by Hitchens in the book in fact exist at all.
David Rose in The Observer
The Observer
The Observer is a British newspaper, published on Sundays. In the same place on the political spectrum as its daily sister paper The Guardian, which acquired it in 1993, it takes a liberal or social democratic line on most issues. It is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper.-Origins:The first issue,...
described the book as "a churning, ceaseless rant, akin to the wake of a cross-Channel ferry. It has similar bilious effects" and questioned whether the desperate situation described by Hitchens really exists, citing Oxford, which Rose sees as “a beautiful, enriching city largely at peace with itself, blessed with a low crime rate” (an assessment in stark contrast to Hitchens’s) as an example.
Right-wing newspapers assessed the book more favourably. Bryan Appleyard
Bryan Appleyard
Bryan Appleyard is a British journalist and author.- Career :Appleyard was educated at Bolton School and King’s College, Cambridge and after graduating with a degree in English, he became Financial News Editor and Deputy Arts Editor from 1976 to 1984 at The Times. Subsequently he became a...
, writing in The Sunday Times
The Sunday Times
The Sunday Times is a British Sunday newspaper.The Sunday Times may also refer to:*The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times...
, described it as "a marvellous, angry polemic" that accounts for and charts how the British Police force became so "institutionally bureaucratic, sullen, chippy and ineffectual".
In The Sunday Telegraph, Theodore Dalrymple
Anthony Daniels (psychiatrist)
Anthony Daniels , who generally uses the pen name Theodore Dalrymple, is an English writer and retired prison doctor and psychiatrist. He worked in places including a number of Sub-Saharan African countries and the east end of London...
agreed with the main thrusts of the book, writing "Mr Hitchens places the blame firmly where it belongs: on a supine and pusillanimous political establishment that, for four decades at least, has constantly retreated before the verbal onslaught of liberal intellectuals whose weapons have been mockery allied to sentimental guilt about their prosperous and comfortable lives, and whose aim has been to liberate themselves from personally irksome moral constraints, without regard to the consequences for those less favourably placed in society than themselves".
Publishing History
The book was published by Atlantic Books, (ISBN 1-84354-148-3) in 2003. An updated edition, re-titled The Abolition of Liberty: The Decline of Order and Justice in England (ISBN 1-84354-149-1) and featuring a new chapter on identity cardsBritish national identity card
The Identity Cards Act 2006 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It provided for National Identity Cards, a personal identification document and European Union travel document, linked to a database known as the National Identity Register .The introduction of the scheme was much...
, and with two chapters – on capital punishment and gun control – removed, appeared in April 2004. Hitchens explained in his weblog in 2010 that the reason for removing the above chapters was so that the book "would be read more widely".