Enlightenment
Enlightenment
was an era where reasoning, analysis, and individualism took the center stage
in Western Europe. Enlightenment philosophy underlined rational change and
abandonment of traditional authority that overlooked humanity. However, the
issue of crime seemed complex to resolve, as explained by Cesare Becaria. The
treatise by Becaria, written in 1764, criticized torture and death penalty, in
addition to proposing reform on the criminal law system. According to Becaria,
capitalists have the capacity to define crime, as well as how to curtail it,
since they control legislature, judicial system, administrative systems, and
police (Jones and Johnstone 149). Marx’s enthusiasts termed this practice as
conflict criminology.
Max
and Engels described a parasitic class called Lumpenproletariat, which survives
on criminal activities and termed it as an enemy to the working class. This
class could not support the move toward communism, as it was serving the
interest of capitalists. In 1829, Robert Peel managed to persuade the British
Parliament to enact the Metropolitan Police Act. Peel emphasized that the core
duties of police was to prevent crime, rather than acting after crime. The Act
led to the establishment of ranked uniformed police force that was responsible for
preventing crime and chaos. During Peel’s reign, the London police was able to
prevent crime through their patrol, rather than waiting for night watchmen to
raise alarm.
The
Fourteenth Amendment, which was endorsed in the US on July 1868, advocated for
equal treatment for all Americans under the law. Apart from assuring equal
treatment, the Amendment allowed individual right to be afforded fair chances
on issues concerning life, property, and due process. The end of the Civil War
ended slavery, but most African Americans were left with nothing to support
themselves. The southerners joined the Union, and the newly formed states began
implementing legislatures that created limits to former slaves. Capitalists
continued curtailing individuals’ free will by exploiting labor, as they
engaged on matters of economic gains.
Works
Cited
Jones, Mark, and Peter
Johnstone. History of Criminal Justice. Amsterdam: Elsevier, 2012.
Print.
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