Poverty and Juvenile Crime, Research Paper Example

In the 19^th Century, there were significant factors that were associated with the onset of juvenile crime. In managing these problems, it was determined that they held a strong influence on English society and the individuals that inhabited this area. It is important to consider these challenges and how they reflect a clearer understanding of the reasons behind juvenile crime, and how these issues reflect problems for many adolescent youth. The causes of juvenile crime in 19^th Century England are significant, and must be described in order to draw viable conclusions regarding this population. These arguments are best addressed with an analysis of the novel Jack Maggs, written by Peter Carey. The general malaise of juvenile crime and its consequences must be addressed in this manner, as these conditions are best described in the novel and its chapters. These conditions are relevant in discussing the problems that England faced in the 19^th Century, whereby juvenile crime was a key factor in social challenges and other events that plagued social systems in this era. Therefore, the reasons behind these problems must be examined in further detail in order to determine how juvenile crime played a role in changing the English social environment.

In Jack Maggs, it is known that the protagonist, who committed a number of crimes, was sent away to Australia for these reasons (Chazan).  To be specific, the novel is described as follows: “Jack Maggs is a criminal – a convict shipped away from England to Australia for his crimes, who returns to his native 19th century London to contact one Henry Phipps. Henry was an orphaned boy who showed Maggs a small kindness just before his exile, and whom Maggs has been secretly financially supporting from afar. Maggs returns to England, despite personal danger, so he can finally reveal and explain himself to his “son”, Phipps” (Chazan). In this context, the protagonist must face a considerable amount of animosity and opposition as a result of his status as an outcast, a man who committed unforgivable crimes (Chazan). Therefore, the author attempts to express the relevance of juvenile crime and how it was handled in 19^th Century England, and rather than keeping these criminals in their homeland, they were banished to other countries, such as Australia (Chazan). The process of understanding the reasons behind these choices convey the overall importance of the novel and its contribution to the discussion of juvenile crime and how it was handled by English society (Chazan).

By using different forms of literature, the problems of juvenile crime are better understood. For example, “The social changes affecting Britain in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries had a profound impact on crime. For example, many children, ignored by the state and neglected by their parents, were left to shift for themselves in the “heinous morass” (p. ix) of early nineteenth-century cities. Unsurprisingly, some turned to crime and were brought before and judged by the courts” (Wood). Based upon these observations, it should be noted that within this complex society, there were other factors that played an important role in determining how juveniles that committed crimes were handled in this particular society, and as a result, their circumstances became increasingly difficult to manage (Wood). This society was relentless in many ways, and it reflected a lack of acceptance of many of the issues that caused serious problems, including but not limited to juvenile crime and its consequences not only for society as a whole, but for individuals and the juveniles themselves (Wood).

One of the key factors of this book represents an opportunity to explore how juvenile crime infiltrated society, and how it was handled: “He had wanted to write a book about his country’s convict past, and decided to repossess Magwitch and claim him as an Australian character. ”Everything he does is deeply Australian,” he said. ”He presumably suffers hugely in the prison colony. He’s released, he’s rich, what does he do? He wants to raise someone who is a replica of the class that has abused him, and then he wants to go back to England and live with him” (Gussow).  In this manner, it is somewhat surprising to consider that the author was Australian himself, but at the same time, he supported and respected England in many different ways (Gussow).  It is important to consider the author’s heritage as a means of conveying his understanding of juvenile crime in the 19^th Century (Gussow).

Unfortunately, for many children growing up in 19^th Century England, there were few choices but to resort to criminal activities, for which these children had to pay the consequences (Hidden Lives Revealed). To be specific, “In the 19th century children living on the streets or those living in overcrowded housing with little or no parental care, had to find some way of staying alive. Many of them drifted into crime. They often did not know that what they did was wrong. They were destitute of all those things that children should have as a right – food, clothing, shelter, security and care” (Hidden Lives Revealed). In this context, it is important to consider that these juveniles did not have any real sense of direction in their lives, and as a result, were forced into situations that were often beyond their control (Hidden Lives Revealed). Unfortunately, these circumstances continued to prevail and created new challenges for the English culture (Hidden Lives Revealed).

References

Chazan, D. “Book reviews: Jack Maggs, by Peter Carey.” 24 April 2010: http://www.helium.com/items/1648990-review-of-the-book-jack-maggs-by-peter-carey

Gussow, Mel, 1998. “An Australian Novelist Takes Another Look at Dickens’s Imitable Conflict.” 24 April 2010: http://www.nytimes.com/1998/05/25/books/an-australian-novelist-takes-another-look-at-dickens-s-inimitable-convict.html?pagewanted=1

Hidden Lives Revealed, 2010. “Poverty and juvenile crime.” 24 April 2010: http://www.hiddenlives.org.uk/articles/juvenile_part1.html

Wood, J.Carter, 2004. “Criminal Children in Victorian England (Book Review). Albion 36.2: 326-328.