This work investigates the evolution of criminal behavior and the state's punitive response in France from the French Revolution through the mid-twentieth century. Gordon Wright, a distinguished historian of modern France, utilizes archival records, legal documents, and social commentary to examine how the French perception of crime shifted alongside political instability and modernization. He argues that the tension between the desire for individual liberty and the necessity of public order defined the development of the French penal system.

Historians and criminologists frequently cite this text as a foundational study for understanding the institutional history of French law enforcement. Readers often note the academic rigor of the prose and the author's ability to synthesize complex legal history into a coherent narrative.