The Gunfight at the OK Corral versus the Database: Crime and Justice in Arizona Territory…How Wild Was It?

From CTLpedia

Paul Hietter

3:00 p.m. Wednesday, May 2, 2007

LB 145 in the Elsner Library at MCC

Abstract: Writers often use sensational anecdotes to describe conditions in the Trans-Mississippi West during the 1800s. The West, these incidents suggest, was a violent and crime-ridden place where ineffective criminal justice institutions forced citizens to take the law into their own hands. But, few historians have attempted a systematic examination of crime and criminal justice in the 19th century West. What types of crimes occurred most often? How effective was the justice system? How did contemporary residents perceive crime and the justice system?

This presentation provides a synopsis of Hietter’s study of Arizona Territory’s justice system. It briefly outlines and describes the justice system’s different components. Then, based on data from court cases and newspapers, it provides an overview of the types of crimes most commonly committed and the justice system’s response to them. Contrary to popular perception, crime was not particularly violent, nor was crime itself a particular problem. Moreover, Arizona Territory’s justice system was relatively effective in comparison to other areas of the country.

Bio: Paul T. Hietter has taught U.S. and Arizona history at a variety of colleges since 1991, and received a Ph.D. from Arizona State University in 1999. Hietter is currently a residential faculty member in history at Mesa Community College. He has published a number of articles on his area of specialization: crime and criminal justice in territorial Arizona.