Breaking the Law in Nineteenth-Century Malta

An Analysis of the Criminal Court Records 1838-1888

Who were the criminals appearing at the Valletta Criminal Court in the 19th century? Why did they break the law? How was local criminality dealt with by the authorities?

This volume aims at tracing criminal-behaviour patterns in Malta between 1838 and 1888 through a study of local criminal court records within the social context and the criminal justice system existing in the nineteenth century – an analysis that attests to an evolving Maltese society facing a changing economy that catered for colonial needs, while legal and law enforcement structures were being transformed.