ABSTRACT
During his service as home secretary, Sir Robert Peel (1788-1850) introduced a number of important reforms to British criminal law. His changes to the penal code system resulted in fewer crimes carrying a death penalty sentence and the provision of educational programs for inmates. In the criminal justice field, he is most often remembered as the “founder of modern policing” (Nazemi 2013). In 1829, Peel was successful in establishing the Metropolitan Police of London. His achievement helped him become prime minister of England in 1835. The initial force had over a thousand officers and was studied throughout the century as a new approach to crime fighting. In time, after the passing of the County Police Act in 1839, its style was duplicated in the London Boroughs and then into the counties and towns.
