Enquiry Into The Causes Of The Late Increase Of Robbers

Enquiry Into The Causes Of The Late Increase Of Robbers by Henry Fielding confronts the rise of crime in 18th-century England with the clarity of a magistrate and the moral urgency of a social reformer. Fielding’s probing treatise blends sharp observation with practical proposals as he diagnoses why robberies proliferated—examining corrupt magistrates, complicit lawyers, economic pressures, and failures in the justice system. Framed as an early work of social science and proto-criminology, the book traces how informal bargaining between criminals and officials undermined law and order and argues for systematic changes: registers of offenders, professional constables, and accountability in local courts. Readers will find historical context on the origins of the Bow Street Runners and the beginnings of organized policing, along with Fielding’s accessible analysis of moral and institutional causes of crime. The tone ranges from forensic to reform-minded, making complex legal and social dynamics clear for modern listeners. Ideal for fans of legal history, criminology, policing origins, or 18th-century social commentary, this audiobook offers a concise, insightful foundation in the ideas that helped shape modern law enforcement and social reform.