Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Public Narratives of Crime and Criminal Justice: Connecting ‘Small’ and ‘Big’ Stories to Make Public Narratives Visible

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Conflicting Narratives of Crime and Punishment

Abstract

This chapter explores the concept of public narratives of crime and criminal justice and its importance in influencing criminal justice and penal policy as well as expressions of public opinion. In order to understand the power of public narratives of crime and criminal justice, it is important to better conceptualise the term and make public narratives empirically accessible. Thus, the author develops a conceptual map of different levels of discourse and the different voices competing for attention in the public domain in order to proceed to developing the concept of public narratives into one that can be measured empirically across time and space. This provides a more dynamic understanding of how crime, criminal justice, and punishment are constructed in specific social contexts and environments.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 139.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 179.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 179.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Notes

  1. 1.

    Most powerfully represented in the Minnesota sentencing grid in the USA; https://mn.gov/sentencing-guidelines/guidelines/, last accessed 7 February 2020.

  2. 2.

    James Bulger was two, when he was abducted and murdered by two 10-year-old boys in Liverpool in 1993. James’ abduction was captured on CCTV and the subsequent trial of the two 10-year-old boys was the subject of intense media coverage.

  3. 3.

    Stormzy is a London-based grime—a form of electronic dance music—artist and rapper who was the first Black British solo act at the main Glastonbury stage. Glastonbury is a world-famous festival of performing arts taking place annually in Somerset, England, established in 1970 and one of the main British music festivals.

  4. 4.

    Kim Kardashian West is a reality TV star with 150 million Instagram followers and 62 million Twitter followers.

  5. 5.

    Research Identifier in the OPOS study, Feilzer (2007, 2015).

  6. 6.

    Stephen Lawrence was murdered in a racially motivated attack in London in 1993, at the age of 18. The investigation of his death was mishandled and subject to a public inquiry which led to the Metropolitan Police to be labelled as institutionally racist (Macpherson Report 1999).

  7. 7.

    Hillsborough Stadium was the scene of Britain’s worst sporting disaster when 96 people died in a stadium crush in 1989. Media coverage blamed football fans and South Yorkshire Police shifted blame to football fans. Numerous enquiries followed and criminal and civil proceedings are still ongoing—a senior police officer, match commander at Hillsborough on the day of the crush, was acquitted of gross negligence manslaughter in December 2019.

References

  • Althoff, M., Dollinger, B., & Schmidt, H. (2020). Fighting for the ‘right’ narrative: Introduction to conflicting narratives of crime and punishment. In M. Althoff, B. Dollinger, & H. Schmidt (Eds.), Conflicting narratives of crime and punishment. London, UK: Palgrave Macmillan.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bamberg, M. (2004). Considering counter-narratives. In M. Bamberg & M. Andrews (Eds.), Considering counter-narratives: Narrating, resisting, making sense (Vol. 4, pp. 351–371). Amsterdam and Philadelphia: John Benjamins Publishing.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brown, E. (2006). The dog that did not bark. Punishment & Society, 8(3), 287–312.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chapman, B., Mirrlees-Black, C., & Brawn, C. (2002). Improving public attitudes to the criminal justice system: The impact of information. London: Home Office.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chibnall, S. (1977). Law-and-order news—An analysis of crime reporting in the British press. London: Tavistock Publications.

    Google Scholar 

  • De Keijser, J. W., van Koppen, P. J., & Elffers, H. (2007). Bridging the gap between judges and the public? A multi-method study. Journal of Experimental Criminology, 3(2), 131–161.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ditton, J., Chadee, D., Farrall, S., Gilchrist, E., & Bannister, J. (2004). From imitation to intimidation—A note on the curious and changing relationship between the media, crime and fear of crime. British Journal of Criminology, 44(4), 595–610.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dollinger, B. (2020). Changing narratives of youth crime: From social causes to threats to the social. London: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ericson, R. V. (1991). Mass media, crime, law, and justice. British Journal of Criminology, 31(3), 219–249.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Feilzer, M. Y. (2007). Criminologists making news? Providing factual information on crime and criminal justice through a weekly newspaper column. Crime, Media, Culture, 3(3), 285–304.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Feilzer, M. Y. (2015). A review of public knowledge of sentencing practices. In J. V. Roberts (Ed.), Exploring sentencing in England and Wales. London: Palgrave Macmillan.

    Google Scholar 

  • Georgakopoulou, A. (2017). Small stories research: A paradigm for the analysis of social media. Sage handbook of social media research. London: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Girling, E., Loader, I., & Sparks, R. (2000). Crime and social change in middle England: Questions of order in an English town. London: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Green, D. A. (2008). When children kill children: Penal populism and political culture. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Gubrium, J. F., & Holstein, J. A. (2009). Narrative reality. London: Sage.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Hartnagel, T. F., & Templeton, L. J. (2012). Emotions about crime and attitudes to punishment. Punishment and Society, 14(4), 452–474.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hough, M. (1996). People talking about punishment. Howard Journal of Criminal Justice, 35(3), 191–214.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hough, M., & Moxon, D. (1985). Dealing with offenders: Popular opinion and the views of victims. Howard Journal of Criminal Justice, 24(3), 160–175.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hough, M., & Park, A. (2002). How malleable are attitudes to crime and punishment? Findings from a British deliberative poll. In J. Roberts and M. Hough (Eds.), Changing attitudes to punishment (1st ed.). Cullompton: Willan Publishing.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hough, M., & Roberts, J. V. (1998). Attitudes to punishment: Findings from the British crime survey. London: Home Office.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hough, M., & Roberts, J. V. (2012). Public opinion, crime and criminal justice. In M. Maguire, R. Morgan, & R. Reiner (Eds.), The Oxford handbook of criminology (5th ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Innes, M. (2014). Signal crimes: Reactions to crime and social control. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Ipsos/Mori Veracity Index. (2019). https://www.ipsos.com/ipsos-mori/en-uk/trust-politicians-falls-sending-them-spiralling-back-bottom-ipsos-mori-veracity-index, last accessed 26 January 2020.

  • Jewkes, Y. (2006). Creating a stir? Prisons, popular media and the power to reform. In P. Mason (Ed.), Captured by the media: Prison discourse in popular culture. Willan: Cullompton.

    Google Scholar 

  • Karstedt, S., Loader, I., & Strang, H. (2011). Emotions, crime and justice. Oxford: Hart.

    Google Scholar 

  • King, A., & Maruna, S. (2006). The function of fiction for a punitive public. In P. Mason (Ed.), Captured by the media: Prison discourse in popular culture (pp. 16–30). Cullompton: Willan.

    Google Scholar 

  • Loader, I. (2011). Playing with fire? Democracy and the emotions of crime and punishment. In S. Karstedt, I. Loader, & H. Strang (Eds.), Emotions, crime and justice. Oxford: Hart.

    Google Scholar 

  • Luskin, R. C., Fishkin, J. S., & Jowell, R. (2002). Considered opinions: Deliberative polling in Britain. British Journal of Political Sciences, 32, 455–487.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Macpherson Report (1999). The Stephen Lawrence Inquiry (Cm 4262-I). https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/277111/4262.pdf.

  • Maruna, S. (2008). Making good: How ex-convicts reform and rebuild their lives. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

    Google Scholar 

  • Maruna, S., & King, A. (2004). Public opinion and community penalties. In A. Bottoms, S. Rex, & G. Robinson (Eds.), Alternatives to prison: Options for an insecure society. Willan: Cullompton.

    Google Scholar 

  • Maruna, S., Matravers, A., & King, A. (2004). Disowning our shadow: A psychoanalytic approach to understanding punitive public attitudes. Deviant Behaviour, 25, 277–299.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mason, P. (2003). Introduction. In P. Mason (Ed.), Criminal visions: Media representations of crime and justice. Cullompton: Willan Publishing.

    Google Scholar 

  • Melossi, D. (2004). The cultural embeddedness of social control. In T. Newburn & R. Sparks (Eds.), Criminal justice and political cultures. Willan: Cullompton, UK.

    Google Scholar 

  • Muddiman, E., Lyttleton-Smith, J., & Moles, K. (2018). Pushing back the margins: Power, identity and marginalia in survey research with young people. International Journal of Social Research Methodology, 22(3), 293–308.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pearson, G. (1983). Hooligan—A history of respectable fears. Basingstoke: Macmillan Press Ltd.

    Google Scholar 

  • Peelo, M. (2005). Crime and the media: Public narratives and private consumption. In M. Peelo & K. Soothill (Eds.), Questioning crime and criminology. Cullompton: Willan.

    Google Scholar 

  • Peelo, M., & Soothill, K. (2000). The place of public narratives in reproducing social order. Theoretical Criminology, 4(2), 131–148.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pidd, H., Halliday, J., Wolfe-Robinson, M., & Parveen, N. 2019. Age of criminal responsibility must be raised, say experts. The Guardian, 4 November. https://www.theguardian.com/society/2019/nov/04/age-of-criminal-responsibility-must-be-raised-say-experts, last accessed 21 January 2020.

  • Presser, L. (2012). “Getting on top through mass murder: Narrative, metaphor, and violence.” Crime, Media, Culture, 8(1): 3–21.

    Google Scholar 

  • Presser, L., & Sandberg, S. (2015). Conclusion: Where to now. In L. Presser & S. Sandberg (Eds.), Narrative criminology: Understanding stories of crime. New York: New York University Press.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Roberts, J. V., Feilzer, M., & Hough, M. (2011). Measuring public attitudes to criminal justice. In D. Gadd, S. Karstedt, & S. Messner (Eds.), The Sage handbook of criminological research methods. London: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rowe, S. M., Wertsch, J. V., & Kosyaeva, T. Y. (2002). Linking little narratives to big ones: Narrative and public memory in history museums. Culture & Psychology, 8(1), 96–112.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Savage, M. (2019). Stormzy tears up the stage at Glastonbury. BBC Entertainment and Arts, 29 June. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-48808655, last accessed 21 January 2020.

  • Whitman, J. Q. (2003). Harsh justice: Criminal punishment and the widening divide between America and Europe. New York: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wood, J., & Viki, G. T. (2004). Public perceptions of crime and punishment. In J. Adler (Ed.), Forensic psychology: Concepts, debates and practice (pp. 16–36). Cullompton: Willan.

    Google Scholar 

  • Young, S. (2019). Kim Kardashian describes moment death row inmate rodney reed was spared execution. Independent. 16 November. https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/kim-kardashian-rodney-reed-death-row-execution-delayed-instagram-a9205391.html, last accessed 21 Jan 2020.

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of History, Philosophy and Social Sciences, Bangor University, Bangor, Gwynedd, UK

    Martina Y. Feilzer

Authors
  1. Martina Y. Feilzer
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Martina Y. Feilzer .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Criminal Law & Criminology, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands

    Martina Althoff

  2. Department of Education & Psychology, University of Siegen, Siegen, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany

    Bernd Dollinger

  3. Department of Social Education, Adult Education and Early Childhood Education (ISEP), TU Dortmund University, Dortmund, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany

    Holger Schmidt

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2020 The Author(s)

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Feilzer, M.Y. (2020). Public Narratives of Crime and Criminal Justice: Connecting ‘Small’ and ‘Big’ Stories to Make Public Narratives Visible. In: Althoff, M., Dollinger, B., Schmidt, H. (eds) Conflicting Narratives of Crime and Punishment. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-47236-8_4

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-47236-8_4

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-47235-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-47236-8

  • eBook Packages: Law and CriminologyLaw and Criminology (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation