Evangelicalism, Penal Theory and the Politics of Criminal Law: Reform in England, 1808-30

Following the abolition of the British slave trade in 1807, a group of politicians began to agitate for reform of England's "bloody code" of criminal statutes. Exploring the politics and propaganda of criminal law reform from 1808 to the Whig succession to power in 1830, this study demonstrates how Evangelicalism provided an unexpected foundation for utilitarian as well as religious advocates for penal reforms in an era when conservative leaders resisted every attempt to change the laws.