Crime in Willimantic
Crime gives us insight into a society's values and priorities, and the definition of crime and punishment change over time. We can see which acts were criminalized and which weren't, which laws were enforced more than others, and which types of punishment were used.
Safety in Willimantic
Willimantic was a relatively safe city and is still considered so. Violent crime was not prevalent in the city, but this doesn’t mean violent crime didn’t occur. Just over 5% percent of all arrests (26 in total) were made in relation to violent crime.
The most common reason for arrest in 1910 was public drunkenness. In 1910, 503 arrests were made from which 292 of were a result of drunkenness composing 58% of all arrests made. Therefore, the other 37% of arrests in Willimantic were a result of a wide variety of petty crime ranging from stealing fruit to trespassing on railroads. Further details follow on the next page.