Crime, Punishment, and Popular Culture

This digital archive contains over 2 million pages of primary resource materials that present a broad history of crime in the 19th Century, through manuscripts, books, broadsheets, and periodicals. During this time period, crime and criminals were followed intensely in the newspapers and served as a popular subject for literature and art. This archive covers topics such as the development of the police force, the reformation of the judicial system, the evolution of the penal system, forensic techniques, and popular detectives. Materials in this archive include: police force reports, trial transcripts, prison postcards, true crime fiction, Penny Dreadfuls, The National Police Gazette, and manuscript collections from famous police, criminals, and detectives.   **Patrons should read the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy of this resource before searching.**