Criminal Visions

Media representations of law and order are matters of keen public interest and have been the subject of intense debate amongst those with an interest in the media, crime and criminal justice. Many people have had no direct contact and experience with the criminal justice system, consequently media reports and representations have important implications for public perceptions of law enforcement agencies, the courts and prisons as well as offenders and victims.Despite being an increasingly high profile subject few publications address this subject head on. This book aims to meet this need by bringing together leading researchers in the field to address issues of fictional, factual and hybrid representations of crime and justice in the media. Overall the book makes a important contribution to the definition of a rapidly expanding field.Criminal Visions is divided into three thematic sections. Part 1, 'Criminal visions in context', addresses some of the principal matters that have preoccupied the British media; Part 2, 'Criminal representations: crimes and criminals' deals with representations of bank robberies, sex crime, the Mafia, terrorism and serial killing; Part 3, Criminal decisions: agencies and agents', moves from crimes and the criminal to mass-media representations of law enforcement, the courts and, finally, prisons.