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Some causes of crime have changed considerably over time as people’s circumstances have changed, while others have stayed the same. They are an important part of trying to understand crime.

What is a crime?

Laws exist to protect people, to give order to our societies and to prevent harm. A crime happens when a person breaks a law.

However, laws change over time as society changes. An action that was a crime in Tudor or Stuart times might not be a crime today, or it might be a different kind of crime. For example, laws relating to religion have changed over time. Blasphemy was first criminalised in the medieval era when the population mostly followed the religion held by their monarch - Christianity. Blasphemy laws were repealed in England and Wales in 2006, and in Scotland in 2012. In contrast to medieval times, there are now many more people in Britain who follow religions other than Christianity, are non-religious or hold other beliefs. In 2006, the Racial and Religious Hatred Act made encouraging hatred against a person because of their religious beliefs, or lack of religious beliefs, illegal.

Attitudes towards crime have changed over time. Crimes that were considered very serious in the past may not be seen in the same way today. An example of this is public protest. In earlier centuries, protesting against the monarchy or government was a serious crime. However, this is not the case in modern times, as freedom of expression, along with freedom of assembly and association, are protected by the 1998 Human Rights Act.