This article analyzes coverage of the Stanford, California rape case, using a qualitative thematic press analysis to demonstrate how “rape culture” and penal populist framing intersected. Pulling ...from national newspapers, as well as diverse online fora, we show how characteristics of the case such as the perceived leniency toward the accused were featured in rape culture and penal populist narratives. In addition, we document a counternarrative that critiqued feminism to pit antirape activists against justice reformers, framing the case as exemplifying a “culture of mass incarceration.” We discuss the significance of this in the context of broader justice reform.
The past few decades have witnessed unprecedented global economic catastrophes that exacerbated pre-existing socioeconomic inequalities. Although many scholars have attributed the resulting social ...harms to the failures of neoliberal capitalism—and recognize it as criminogenic—the logics upholding the economic order continue to hold sway among the public. Given that these logics are commonly reinforced through media and popular culture narratives, in this paper we explore how economic inequalities are portrayed in American comic books. We employ a thematic analysis of comic book depictions of mass economic destruction and economic inequality from the financial crisis of 2008 through the Occupy Wall Street movement to the more recent characterization of a post-capitalist existence under the throes of a global plutocracy. In doing so we recognize the potential for re-imagining alternatives to neoliberal capitalism, taking a critical criminological lens to the comic books. We then place
The Black Monday Murders
, a culmination of portrayals of economic inequality and related violence, in the context of more mainstream comic book depictions and discuss how this particular work exemplifies a rising theme in comics—a purported trade-off between global capitalism and human life, a discussion point that explicitly entered American public discourse during the coronavirus pandemic.
In this paper, we analyze ways that oppositional rhetoric-specifically cries of "moral panic" and "witch hunt"-resonates in conversations around campus sexual assault and MeToo. We trace the ...discursive arc around sexual aggression in popular media and reveal a pattern of ideological inversion. Initially, narratives privileged victim-centered perspectives by affirming notions of rape culture. Yet, this quickly gave way to cries of "moral panic" and "witch hunt." In the following analysis, we argue the oppositional rhetoric performs an ideological inversion posing hegemonic relations as sites of threatened liberty and counter-hegemonic movements as dominating and oppressive. We show how claims of moral panic and witch hunt operate to obfuscate the cultural dynamics that pervade discourse in a neoliberal social context and constrict our ability to address the underlying structural mechanisms that reinforce rape culture.
Carrying ahead the project of cultural criminology, Phillips and Strobl dare to take seriously that which amuses and entertains us - and to find in it the most significant of themes. Audiences, ...images, ideologies of justice and injustice - all populate the pages of Comic Book Crime. The result is an analysis as colorful as a good comic, and as sharp as the point on a superhero's sword. - Jeff Ferrell, author of Empire of Scrounge Superman, Batman, Daredevil, and Wonder Woman are iconic cultural figures that embody values of order, fairness, justice, and retribution. Comic Book Crime digs deep into these and other celebrated characters, providing a comprehensive understanding of crime and justice in contemporary American comic books. This is a world where justice is delivered, where heroes save ordinary citizens from certain doom, where evil is easily identified and thwarted by powers far greater than mere mortals could possess. Nickie Phillips and Staci Strobl explore these representations and show that comic books, as a historically important American cultural medium, participate in both reflecting and shaping an American ideological identity that is often focused on ideas of the apocalypse, utopia, retribution, and nationalism. Through an analysis of approximately 200 comic books sold from 2002 to 2010, as well as several years of immersion in comic book fan culture, Phillips and Strobl reveal the kinds of themes and plots popular comics feature in a post-9/11 context. They discuss heroes' calculations of deathworthiness, or who should be killed in meting out justice, and how these judgments have as much to do with the hero's character as they do with the actions of the villains. This fascinating volume also analyzes how class, race, ethnicity, gender, and sexual orientation are used to construct difference for both the heroes and the villains in ways that are both conservative and progressive. Engaging, sharp, and insightful, Comic Book Crime is a fresh take on the very meaning of truth, justice, and the American way.Nickie D. Phillipsis Associate Professor in the Sociology and Criminal Justice Department at St. Francis College in Brooklyn, NY.Staci Stroblis Associate Professor in the Department of Law, Police Science and Criminal Justice Administration at John Jay College of Criminal Justice.In theAlternative Criminologyseries
High-profile trials are often held up as emblematic of social justice causes, but this often obscures rather than clarifies justice issues for the public. Trial outcomes may be seen as proxies of ...much deeper, structural problems, though media coverage routinely focuses on singular, criminal justice outcomes. This study uses a press analysis of two high-profile cases to investigate how these dynamics restrict our cultural understandings of justice outside the context of formal criminal justice responses. Specifically, we use three forms of media discourse to examine public discussion following the verdicts in the Stanford rape case in 2015 and the killing of Philando Castile by Officer Jeronimo Yanez in Minnesota in 2016. We find that both cases elicited diverse narratives, including those calling for alternative justice processes and penal populist ones. We explore these narratives under the framing of system failure, examining three different articulations. We conclude by theorizing the implications each case raises for how media negotiate ideas about what constitutes justice.
Beyond Blurred Lines explores the ways that the concept of "rape culture" resonates in popular media. This book demonstrates that popular culture, mass media, and social media are prominent sites for ...understanding and responding to sexual violence.
The Prosecution of Hate Crimes Phillips, Nickie D.
Journal of interpersonal violence,
05/2009, Letnik:
24, Številka:
5
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Since the development of bias crime legislation over the past few decades, scholars have debated the merits of the legislation and questioned its enforcement.1 In light of such concerns, this study ...presents characteristics of all cases prosecuted as bias crimes in a New Jersey county between 2001 and 2004 and applies the hate crime typology originally developed in 1993. Results show that, in this jurisdiction, the typology is an inadequate tool for classifying cases prosecuted as hate crimes. Approximately one third of the cases are unclassifiable according to the typology. Findings indicate that the typology is useful for understanding cases in which bias is the sole motivation but inadequate for application to the many cases in which bias is a peripheral motivation.
In this study, we examine the extent to which criminologists and other academics participate in newsmaking criminology as guests on cable news shows. Building on earlier examinations of print media, ...we explore the ways in which crime is portrayed on popular cable television news programs (airing on CNN, FOX, MSNBC). Specifically, we examine 180 segments devoted to crime on cable news that aired from June to August 2006, with an emphasis on the role of the 347 guests appearing in those segments and their perspectives on crime causation and crime control. We find that criminologists and other academic experts infrequently appear on these programs, and that guests-regardless of type-only rarely address crime causation or crime control when appearing.
From the moment young scholars enter the academy, they are cautioned that they should be prepared to "publish or perish." Because a demonstrable record of scholarly publication is arguably the most ...important consideration at most universities and colleges that award tenure, junior faculty would be advised to heed that caution. But is there a reduction in pressure post-tenure, and if so, does this result in a reduction in the publication productivity of faculty members? In this study, we collected and coded data on the publications of criminology and criminal justice scholars over time to determine whether tenure and promotion negatively impact publication productivity. The data, drawn from a random sample of ASC and ACJS members, were coded annually, and careers were tracked in 5-year increments. Our findings indicate that, contrary to popular belief, the productivity of criminal justice scholars tends to initially increase post-tenure and then stabilize as the career progresses. The findings also suggest that those affiliated with research-oriented universities are more productive (in terms of publications) than are those at other types of institutions, and that highly productive scholars have a substantial influence on the average publication rates of scholars at research-oriented institutions.
Purpose – This chapter explores the commercially successful and critically acclaimed motion picture The Dark Knight as a cultural artifact that both reflects and influences popular notions of crime ...and justice in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.Design/methodology/approach – From a cultural criminological perspective, this chapter examines ideological messages pertaining to crime and justice presented in the film, including the framing of conflict as one between good and evil, justifications for extralegal violence, and reliance on absolute power as a means of social control. This chapter assesses reactions to the film as a “ritual moral exercise” in which viewers assuage their anxieties and insecurities in a post-9/11 world.Findings – This chapter investigates representations of justice in the film, including the construction of the villain as “other,” the perception of constitutional procedures as impediments to justice, the embrace of vigilantism, and the willingness to sacrifice transparency of government authorities while accepting widespread surveillance in a time of crisis. Such themes resonated with some viewers who interpreted the film as offering explicit vindication for many of the questionable tactics used in the war on terror.Originality/value – This chapter argues that popular media, specifically fictional entertainment media, play a role in reflecting and informing collective sentiments of justice. It offers an analysis of The Dark Knight as celebrating individualized, American-style retributive justice in a post-9/11 context.
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