The Roots of Evil: A Social History of Crime and Punishment

by Christopher Hibbert

Hibbert tries to show by reference to history of punishments, to the reactions of those who suffered them or have been threatened by them, and to the endeavors of those who have concerned themselves with the criminal and the prevention of crime, that cruelty punishment has an inevitable tendency to produce cruelty in people.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Politics

524 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1963

About the author

Christopher Hibbert, MC, FRSL, FRGS (5 March 1924 - 21 December 2008) was an English writer, historian and biographer. He was a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and the author of many books, including Disraeli, Edward VII, George IV, The Rise and Fall of the House of Medici, and Cavaliers and Roundheads.

Described by Professor Sir John Plumb as "a writer of the highest ability and in the New Statesman as "a pearl of biographers," he established himself as a leading popular historian/biographer whose works reflected meticulous scholarship.

Reviews

[Bryan--The Bee’s Knees · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is not what I expected, though it wasn't too bad for what it was. To me, the title suggested this was a kind of inquiry into the psychology of a criminal, and while that is touched on briefly, the book's main purpose is to chronicle the history of the way society treats its criminals, with an emphasis on the various ways the death penalty has been employed over the years.

Hibbert makes no bones about his own view toward the death penalty in a brief introduction to the book--he's firmly against it. Still, I didn't think this acknowledged bias got in the way of his reporting. Starting in medieval times, Hibbert traces the treatment of criminals through the centuries, and it can make for some harrowing reading at times.

Unfortunately, the book stops with the state of affairs in the 1960s--Jimmy Hoffa is still head of the teamsters and J. Edgar Hoover is still head of the FBI. At that time, penal reform was making some strides, but there was still a great deal to be done. I don't think much has changed since then.

Hibbert's final takeaways--locking people up or flogging them doesn't make them better people, and hanging doesn't deter anyone, and both may even encourage more crime. Unfortunately, he doesn't have much in the way of solutions. On the other hand, even though the media doesn't make it look like it, this is generally considered to be the most peaceful period in Earth's history. It's been recognized for some time now that society would have to change before crime rates would fall--perhaps it has, but it's just been so incremental that we don't see it.

[Ben · Rating 4 out of 5]

Recommended. Many of the chapters are absolutely fascinating, and are good jumping off points for more in-depth reading. The weakest chapters are those on crime fiction (very few insights), and those where his history comes closest to the present day. At this point the weaknesses of his (liberal) politics become more apparent, as does his casual homophobia (which, to be fair, was probably widespread at the time of writing). He is a typical liberal in that he uncovers all sorts of horrors in the criminal injustice system, but somehow imagines that they are accidental rather than structural, and can be reformed away.