Van gevecht tot gerecht. Geweldpleging in het Zuidoosten van Brabant 1811-1875

Abstract

From Fight to Right. Violence in South-East Brabant, 1811-1875. Acts of violence and criminal justice in Brabant, a southeastern province of the Netherlands, 1811-1875, are examined. During this period, acts of violence were rather common, especially among peasants; most were not tried, but if they were, the punishment tended to be less severe than for crimes against property, which were committed more by industrial workers and other poor residents. In the course of the century, the proportion of accused law-offenders within the agricultural sector decreased by 50%, while that within the industrial sector more than doubled. At the same time, judicial punishment became less severe. Total registered crime increased throughout the century, indicating an extension of state control. Violent crime as a proportion of total registered crime decreased, which may be an indication of the diminishing frequency and normalcy of acts of violence in a changing rural society. As the state extended its control over economic, political, and cultural processes, its claimed monopoly on violence became more real. 5 Tables. Adapted from the source document.