longing for the scaffold 278 ince more than 150 years science has been united in rejecting harsher punishments as deterring crime. Probably the clearest, but seldom S noticed, example of an opposite consequence, harsher penalties resulting in more crimes, we find in those longing to be executed and therefore committing crimes. During the period 1700-1850 this was noticed and discussed in some European states, and laws containing different actions were written trying to impede such crimes. Generally the, compared to other historical problems rare, research has studied the crimes and the criminals. Most of the recent research is also limited to small geographical areas, often a city, in Sweden, Denmark or Germany. Instead this study is something of a patchwork, connecting examples from several countries and a few centuries. To make a full study of all aspects has not and will probably not be possible. Therefore, especially the cases referred to, but also debate and legislation must to a large extent be seen as examples and not as claiming to be a complete study of everything of relevance. Still they show interpretations, strategies, choices, and developments. This study is not limited to the period stated above, although much of the material studied is from that period. There also exist no geographical limit, but almost everything related to in this book comes from the western part of Europe. English colonies in America and Australia also provide some material. Naturally, the aim has been to be global as this probably is a global problem, but also, naturally, lack of knowledge of languages (material in only eight languages has been used) and time has limited the study. This wide approach, often lacking in earlier research, also, hopefully, has led to results of a more general kind. However, in using the archival material to consider the single case we can find that even when we have comparably good sources they can reveal themselves as quite unreliable concerning the actual words of an accused and later summary
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