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.