What did Charles Dickens think about crime and punishment?

Answer 1

He believed in punishment, like all the Victorians, but he was strongly opposed to the strict, even cruel views on crime and punishment of his contemporaries. He was appalled by the simplicity with which people were sentenced to death or deportation for life for a current misdemeanor, like the theft of a handkerchief (an expensive commodity back then). He condemned (indirectly) the banishment for life under penalty of death, as he believed that people could change and could become an asset to their society. One type of prison he helped to close down was the debtors' prison.

Answer 2

Charles Dickens believed that poverty and social inequality were the root causes of crime, and that punishment alone was not an effective solution. He often portrayed criminals with empathy and sought to shed light on the social conditions that drove people to commit crimes. Dickens advocated for preventative measures, education, and societal reform to address the underlying issues leading to criminal behavior.