The beginning of the twentieth century marked an era of change and uncertainty in England. The transition from the reign of Queen Victoria to the more carefree Edward VII resulted in a sharp contrast between content royal life and the discontent of several other societal groups. In addition, the focus of power was shifting in the rest of the world, with America beginning to come into the power that it enjoys today. In order to prepare England for the future, its leaders began to strengthen their education and defence systems, resulting in a more adequately equipped nation (Williams, 2000). At the time a quarter of the World's map was coloured red. The British Empire was the greatest empire and its Second City and port was Liverpool. It was a period when Liverpool had the biggest workhouse in Britain, the highest infant mortality rate and more than three thousand prostitutes (Brack, 2001).

The late nineteenth and early twentieth century saw reform in the English working class with the formation of the Independent Labour Party in 1884 combating poor working conditions and the Miner's Federation of Great Britain striving to have the workday shortened. A crisis occurred among the industrial forces of England in 1911 when strikes among workers in a variety of important industries nearly incapacitated the country (Williams, 2000).

The city of Liverpool saw a change as a result of these precipitating factors. The economy in Liverpool suffered during the twentieth century as a result of the fall in shipping industries. Poverty became a huge problem in Liverpool and all around. On the Western side of Scotland Road the streets were filled with the poorest and lowest class of individuals in Liverpool. They lived in near starvation conditions finding refuge in crumbling houses and foul?smelling cellars. Many were without a roof over their heads as men, women and children all spent nights huddled in shop doorways, alleyways, on basement steps or in any other corner which afforded some protection. The number of people who had to beg, borrow and steal to stay alive was incredible. As soon as children were old enough, they were taught how to beg and quickly learned to steal. At one point, gangs of Liverpool children were so highly organized they set up markets in the cellars of empty warehouses where shopkeepers came to buy the stolen goods (Brack, 2001).

Not all of the effects of England's new cultural climate on the city of Liverpool were negative, however. If it can be said, the poor were very poor and the rich were very rich. The city developed a diverse cultural base that gave rise to a new sense of pride and identity. Liverpool saw the establishment of the World's first school for the blind, the world's first Medical Officer of Health and the first Council houses. William Rathbone initiated the first District nurses and Kitty Wilkinson set up the first public workhouse in her home (Brack, 2001).

Another area in which England saw significant changes in the early twentieth century was law enforcement. The societal pressures resulting from the Industrial Revolution led to an increase in violence and subsequently a need for increased law enforcement. The harsh penalties of the Penal Code, containing more than two hundred capital offences, led many to believe since the punishment was the same regardless of the crime committed; there was no real incentive to avoid particularly violent offences. This during a time when cruelty to children was not a crime and corporal punishment was generally an accepted part of life in Liverpool (Brack, 2001).

A bureaucratic police force, something urgently needed during this time, was created in the early part of the nineteenth century. Robert Peel's Metropolitan Police Act was passed in 1829. As a result of this act, the entirety of London's police force was confined to the direction of one authority: Scotland Yard. An additional one thousand officers were recruited and the responsibilities of police were restricted to the detection and prevention of crime. These 'Bobbies', as they were called, controlled crime by regular preventive patrols. The Municipal Corporations Act of 1835 regulated provincial police forces and kept them under the control of a watch committee (Bloy, 2001).

These factors leading to the new police emphasis on prevention rather than detection of crime did not have the effect of tightening control on crime in England as desired. A substantial increase in violence was noted during the mid 1960's. In 1951 Manchester's chief constable reported the highest occurrence of crime ever recorded and by 1961 he warned the rising crime levels constituted "a threat to society which cannot be ignored." The Metropolitan Police Commissioner similarly noted "1964 has proved to be the worst year of the century for crime." In 1965 Robert Mark, Chief Constable of Leicester, explained in a public lecture at a college in Oxford of the four specific changes being made to the criminal law at that time. In an attempt to punish crime and violence England introduced (1) majority verdicts in jury trials, (2) the pre-trial disclosure of defence alibis, (3) abolition of the caution against self-incrimination and (4) a requirement for the accused to enter the witness box. It was hoped the threat of punishment would deter crime more effectively than the previous approach of "preventive strategies" (Loader & Mulcahy, 2001).