Law and Order
Mass Migration
Mass migration and population explosion lead to many problems in the West:
Claim jumping
Outsiders influence
Prostitution and alcohol
Ethnic tension
Many Prospectiors who retuened to San Fransisco form mining camps, could not find work
This led to an increase of crime wave in 1851
Law officers were completly useless because of corruption
The increase of crime due to mass migration in San Fransisco led to the establishment of the Vigilantee comitee 1851
In the absence of the ffial law enforcement agents, the vigalitiees comitees were able to resolve problems faced my a few of the offial law enforcemnet officers. and support and help authourities
Vigiance meant that more criminals were caught and punished
In 1851, the Vigialntee comitee in San Fransisco were able to capture 89 suspected criminal
1/2 were found not guilty and 1/4 were deported, 15 were handed over to offical law enforcement and the rest were hung
Sent a clear message out to criminals
Once supects were identified, they would be tried by the Vigilantee comitees and were usually Lynched (hung)
Knowlegde of these hanggings and warnings were plastered all around camp, so all the remaining trouble makers knew to clear out
The vigilantee comitee were not fair and not legal and acted illegally - not offical law enforcment
by killing suspects, they were technically commiting a crime themselves
Suspects were detained on suspision rather than evidence
the trails that the comitee held were not fair
the persons guilt was already decided before they were captured
The committees had a tendency to use
their power to settle scores and some went on to be worse than the criminals they hanged.