About the Author

Patrick Devlin (1905-92) studied history and law at Cambridge University and became a successful lawyer. He worked for various government ministries during the Second World War, and in 1948 became the second-youngest person ever appointed a High Court judge. He was knighted later that year. In 1957 the controversial Wolfenden report recommended decriminalisation of private acts of homosexuality, and two sides of the debate about the law's place in the enforcement of morals emerged.