IndexThe Professional "Criminal Class": A Frightening Concept in Victorian Social Observations"London Labor and the London Poor" by Henry Mayhew: Exploring the Criminal ClassConclusionReferencesIn the Nineteenth Century , The Victorians used the word "slum" to describe run-down areas and public squalor. During this period, Britain was primarily industrial and was considered by many to be the world leader in progress and significant change to traditional practices in agriculture, manufacturing and transportation. Britain was renowned as a powerful state, one of the richest in the world; as a result, this has led to overcrowding in urban centres, squalor, hardship and deprivation for many. The poor areas of Britain in the nineteenth century were synonymous with the views of the people which led to the formation of the word "slum". Definitions of the term "slum" vary, but many include the idea that poor neighborhoods were sources of criminal behavior and responsible for thriving crime. During this period, many Victorians adopted the idea that there was a "criminal class". It was the product of industrialization and urbanisation, which subsequently left those facing devastating poverty to survive mainly on the proceeds of crime. To this day, there are still debates over the idea that the Victorian "criminal class" could potentially have been nothing more than a myth. This essay will address the representation of Victorian slums by middle-class writers and discuss the relationship between Victorian slums and crime. Additionally, the meaning of the term 'slum' will be discussed to determine whether or not it provided an accurate representation of the slums of the time. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay The Professional 'Criminal Class': A Formidable Concept in Victorian Social Observations In 1883, the Reverend Andrew Mearns published a pamphlet entitled 'The Bitter Cry of Outcast London'. This pamphlet quickly became very popular as it contained information on the conditions of life of the poorest parts of London During this period, middle-class readers were eager to learn more about these infamous slums as they had never had the opportunity to visit these areas in person, Mearns gives the impression that slums were overcrowded, cramped, unhygienic and crime-ridden. For example, when he visited Collier's Rents (south-east London), he observed that slum dwellers were "largely occupied" and criticized the conditions. sanitary "indescribable". This pamphlet confirms that the poorest districts of London were immensely crowded and were filthy beyond imagination. Furthermore, Mearns describes the houses in these neighborhoods and their inhabitants. For example, he writes that there were "many cheap pensions of the worst kind in the vicinity." Some of them "mainly created by thieves." This pamphlet implies that the poorest parts of London were made up of the worst kind of people, some of whom included criminals. This point is further validated through the descriptions of the houses. He writes, for example, that some houses were joined together by narrow passages and that they constituted "a ready method of escape in case of police interference." This quote suggests that the general public believed in the idea that a "criminal class" existed due to the assumption that passages were used as routes to escape the police. Although there is evidence in the articles thatsuggest that Victorian slums were real, were they ? In the 1990s, historian Alan Mayne published several articles and books in which he argued that nineteenth-century slums were "mythical". Although some of his arguments are now relatively archaic, they are still relevant to determining whether or not the Victorian “criminal class” was a myth. In the first line of Mayne's book 'The Imagined Slum', he says that 'slums are myths', that 'they are constructions of the imagination'. However, shortly after, he contradicts himself. For example, he writes: “I don't mean to say that the slums weren't real. After all, they were a universal feature of large cities. This quote implies that his main argument was not about whether or not slums exist or the areas themselves, but rather about the term "slum" and the negative attributes associated with it. Furthermore, Mayne implies that the term “slum” appeased the middle class. For example, he writes that "the slum was used by both reformers and artists as a powerful enabling device that mobilized bourgeois interest." This quote implies that middle-class writers' depiction of slums and the "criminal class" may be inaccurate or deeply misunderstood. This also implies that middle class writers dehumanized and stereotyped the poor and did so for entertainment and profit. In the nineteenth century, social observers feared that a criminal world had developed in London. As a result, many Victorians began writing about a professional "criminal class" that survived on the proceeds of crime and targeted the wealthy. In the early 1800s, English writer Charles Dickens published a fictional novel titled "Oliver Twist" that gave a realistic picture of organized crime in a criminal world. For example, one of the main antagonists of the novel was an "old gentleman" named Fagin, a kidsman (trainer of young thieves). During Chapter 9, Dickens convinces Fagin to play a "game" with Dodger and Bates, in which he puts on a tight-fitting coat full of expensive goods and challenges the two boys to steal these goods without him noticing. In this chapter, Dickens portrays Fagin as an organized criminal who cleverly lures and exploits boys. Although it is not clearly stated, the reader can understand that Fagin is teaching the boys to pickpocket. Furthermore, Dickens' novel sheds light on the living conditions of the poor by persuasively describing human misery, desolation and squalor. However, it reinstated the belief in many Victorians that there was a professional "criminal class" and that these types of criminals came from the poorer classes. Henry Mayhew's "London Labor and the London Poor": Exploring the Criminal Class In 1882, sociologist John Binny wrote a section within Henry Mayhew's book "London Labor and the London Poor" to describe the training of young pickpockets. At the start of this section he sets out how young people from low-income homes are responsible for pickpocketing. He suggests it is a product of negative influences and parental abandonment. For example, he writes, "they often begin stealing at the age of six or seven, sometimes as early as five, and commit petty thefts secretly, as well as stealing handkerchiefs from gentlemen's pockets." Due to the children's age, this implies that others in the slums taught them to steal. Furthermore, Binny's reference to the thefts being "subtle" implies that the children rehearsed these crimes. He proves this assumption to be correct by stating that the children had been "taught by thieves' trainers, young men and women, and some middle-aged convicted thieves." This quote implies that many people.