Criminals and Crime: Some Facts and Suggestions

“Extremely lucid, straightforward and valuable book. Sir Robert Anderson’s personal experience gives very great weight to his arguments for drastic reforms in criminal law and procedure. They are worthy of the most serious consideration of every citizen.” London Evening Standard
“This is a most interesting and enlightening book.” London Daily News
“A most suggestive, fascinating and admirably-written work” Pall Mall Gazette

A passionate treatise on crime by Sir Robert Anderson, Assistant Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police and head of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) from 1888 to 1901.

In this book Anderson puts forward that, while crime in general is decreasing, what he terms ‘professional’ crime is increasing. He characterises professional criminals as those persons who follow crime as the business of their lives, and are either ‘utterly weak’ or ‘utterly wicked’, and are usually beyond reform.

Anderson contends that present day methods of punishing crime are ineffective. In particular, sentences are too lenient to deter professional criminals. In this book, aimed at the general public, he advocates for fundamental reforms including an end to the existing system of ‘punishment of crime’ in favour of a new system of punishing the criminal.

Anderson is deeply critical of what he sees as the harmful influence of humanitarians in criminal justice policy. He has coined the term “humanity-mongers” for these people and groups who he has a fraught relationship with. He regards their activities as agitating for the benefit of criminals.

First published by James Nisbet and Co., Limited in 1907. This special edition is published by Lewisham Press, 2021. Criminals and Crime: Some Facts and Suggestions is a remarkable source for historians of crime.

Sir Robert Anderson was born in Dublin in 1841. He was a barrister, intelligence officer and police officer. He died in 1918 of the Spanish flu and is buried in Kensal Green Cemetery in London.

“Sir Robert Anderson has undoubtedly rendered valuable service to the public in giving expression to his weighty opinions at a time when our whole system of criminal punishment is in an experimental and transitory state. It is not too much to expect that it will materially influence the trend of future legislation.” Liverpool Courier
“The book is a masterly production, and a worthy contribution to one of the many social problems of to-day.” Glasgow Herald
“A remarkable book… Sir Robert Anderson’s book and the reforms he advocates deserve careful scrutiny” Daily Mail

£6.99