 In the mid @-@ 19th century , Britain experienced an influx of Irish immigrants who swelled the populations of the major cities , including the East End of London . From 1882 , Jewish refugees from pogroms in Tsarist Russia and other areas of Eastern Europe emigrated into the same area . The parish of Whitechapel in London 's East End became increasingly overcrowded . Work and housing conditions worsened , and a significant economic underclass developed . Robbery , violence , and alcohol dependency were commonplace , and the endemic poverty drove many women to prostitution . In October 1888 , London 's Metropolitan Police Service estimated that there were 62 brothels and 1 @,@ 200 women working as prostitutes in Whitechapel . The economic problems were accompanied by a steady rise in social tensions . Between 1886 and 1889 , frequent demonstrations led to police intervention and public unrest , such as that of 13 November 1887 . Anti @-@ semitism , crime , nativism , racism , social disturbance , and severe deprivation fed public perceptions that Whitechapel was a notorious den of immorality . In 1888 , such perceptions were strengthened when a series of vicious and grotesque murders attributed to " Jack the Ripper " received unprecedented coverage in the media . 
