Essay: An Enquiry into the Causes of the Late Increase of Robbers

Overview

Henry Fielding's 1751 essay "An Enquiry into the Causes of the Late Increase of Robbers" is a forensic, reform-minded examination of crime in mid-18th-century England. Written from his experience as a magistrate and social observer, the essay moves beyond moral outrage to probe the social, legal, and administrative dynamics that, he argues, have produced an alarming rise in robbery and street crime. Fielding blends anecdote, empirical observation, and practical proposals to shift attention from punishment alone to prevention and systemic repair.

Diagnosis of Causes

Fielding locates the roots of criminality in a mixture of economic distress, social dislocation, and institutional failure. Poverty, lack of regular employment, and the movement of displaced or itinerant populations create conditions in which petty theft can escalate into organized robbery. He also emphasizes the corrosive effect of public example: when corruption, negligence, or inconsistent enforcement are visible, they erode respect for law and encourage boldness among offenders.

Critique of Institutions

A central target of Fielding's critique is the machinery of justice and local administration. He censures negligent magistrates, absentee justices, and unscrupulous informers whose practices distort prosecutions and allow criminals to thrive. The system of rewards and public prosecutions, Fielding contends, often incentivizes perverse behavior, allows guilty men to be shielded by connections, and leaves ordinary victims without adequate redress. Weak coordination among officials and fragmented responsibility between parishes and courts further undermines effective policing.

Proposed Reforms

Fielding advocates pragmatic, sometimes innovative reforms aimed at prevention and better enforcement. He calls for a more active and accountable magistracy, better-paid and disciplined constables, and improvements to the system that encourages citizens to assist in law enforcement without exposing themselves to exploitation. He stresses the need for measures to alleviate poverty and provide legitimate employment, arguing that humane relief and public projects will reduce incentives to steal. Reforms to prosecutorial procedures, clearer lines of responsibility, and incentives properly aligned with public safety are all presented as necessary complements to punishment.

Approach to Punishment and Prevention

While not opposed to severe penalties for serious crimes, Fielding argues that punishment alone is a blunt instrument if social causes remain unaddressed and enforcement is inconsistent. He presses for proportionality and for policies that distinguish between hardened offenders and those driven to crime by want or chance. Prevention through improved administration, social support, and visible, reliable policing is cast as both morally preferable and more effective in reducing repeat offending.

Style and Method

Fielding's writing is lucid, engaged, and pragmatic, combining concrete cases with broader reflection. He writes as a practitioner rather than an abstract theorist, drawing on courtroom experience, local investigations, and a concern for civic order. Rhetoric is deployed to shame negligence and to persuade officials and the public that reasoned reforms can check the tide of criminality.

Legacy and Significance

The essay contributed to contemporary debates about policing and justice and helped to legitimize practical reforms in law enforcement. Fielding's focus on professional, accountable policing and on addressing social roots of crime anticipated later developments in modern policing and criminal justice reform. The work remains a notable example of eighteenth-century civic criticism that links moral concern with detailed administrative proposals.