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Murder Stories engages with the current theoretical debate in death
penalty research on the role of cultural commitments to 'American'
ideologies in the retention of capital punishment. The central aim
of the study is to illuminate the elusive yet powerful role of
ideology in legal discourses. Through analyzing the content and
processes of death penalty narratives, this research illuminates
the covert life of 'the American Creed,' (a nexus of
ideologies-liberty, egalitarianism, individualism, populism, and
laissez faire-said to be unique to the United States) in the law.
Murder Stories draws on the entire record of California death
sentence resulting trials from three large and diverse California
counties for the years 1996 - 2004, as well as interviews with 26
capital caseworkers (attorneys, judges, and investigators) from the
same counties. Employing the theoretical framework proposed by
Ewick and Silbey (1995) to study hegemonic and subversive
narratives, and also the ethnographic approach advocated by
Amsterdam and Hertz (1992) to study the producers and processes of
constructing legal narratives, this book traces the ideological
content carried within the stories told by everyday practitioners
of capital punishment by investigating the content, process, and
ideological implications of these narratives. The central
theoretical finding is that the narratives constructed by both
prosecutors and defenders tend to instantiate rather than subvert
the ideological tenets of the American Creed.
Murder Stories engages with the current theoretical debate in death
penalty research on the role of cultural commitments to 'American'
ideologies in the retention of capital punishment. The central aim
of the study is to illuminate the elusive yet powerful role of
ideology in legal discourses. Through analyzing the content and
processes of death penalty narratives, this research illuminates
the covert life of 'the American Creed,' (a nexus of
ideologies-liberty, egalitarianism, individualism, populism, and
laissez faire-said to be unique to the United States) in the law.
Murder Stories draws on the entire record of California death
sentence resulting trials from three large and diverse California
counties for the years 1996 - 2004, as well as interviews with 26
capital caseworkers (attorneys, judges, and investigators) from the
same counties. Employing the theoretical framework proposed by
Ewick and Silbey (1995) to study hegemonic and subversive
narratives, and also the ethnographic approach advocated by
Amsterdam and Hertz (1992) to study the producers and processes of
constructing legal narratives, this book traces the ideological
content carried within the stories told by everyday practitioners
of capital punishment by investigating the content, process, and
ideological implications of these narratives. The central
theoretical finding is that the narratives constructed by both
prosecutors and defenders tend to instantiate rather than subvert
the ideological tenets of the American Creed.
"Due to the graphic nature of this program, viewer discretion is
advised." Most of us have encountered this warning while watching
television at some point. It is typically attached to a brand of
reality crime TV that Paul Kaplan and Daniel LaChance call
"crimesploitation": spectacles designed to entertain mass audiences
by exhibiting "real" criminal behavior and its consequences. This
book examines their enduring popularity in American culture.
Analyzing the structure and content of several popular
crimesploitation shows, including Cops, Dog: The Bounty Hunter, and
To Catch a Predator, as well as newer examples like Making a
Murderer and Don't F**K with Cats, Kaplan and LaChance highlight
the troubling nature of the genre: though it presents itself as
ethical and righteous, its entertainment value hinges upon
suffering. Viewers can imagine themselves as deviant and
ungovernable like the criminals in the show, thereby escaping a
law-abiding lifestyle. Alternatively, they can identify with law
enforcement officials, exercising violence, control, and "justice"
on criminal others. Crimesploitation offers a sobering look at the
depictions of criminals, policing, and punishment in modern
America.
"Due to the graphic nature of this program, viewer discretion is
advised." Most of us have encountered this warning while watching
television at some point. It is typically attached to a brand of
reality crime TV that Paul Kaplan and Daniel LaChance call
"crimesploitation": spectacles designed to entertain mass audiences
by exhibiting "real" criminal behavior and its consequences. This
book examines their enduring popularity in American culture.
Analyzing the structure and content of several popular
crimesploitation shows, including Cops, Dog: The Bounty Hunter, and
To Catch a Predator, as well as newer examples like Making a
Murderer and Don't F**K with Cats, Kaplan and LaChance highlight
the troubling nature of the genre: though it presents itself as
ethical and righteous, its entertainment value hinges upon
suffering. Viewers can imagine themselves as deviant and
ungovernable like the criminals in the show, thereby escaping a
law-abiding lifestyle. Alternatively, they can identify with law
enforcement officials, exercising violence, control, and "justice"
on criminal others. Crimesploitation offers a sobering look at the
depictions of criminals, policing, and punishment in modern
America.
Republics and empires provides transnational perspectives on the
significance of Italy to American art and visual culture and the
impact of the United States on Italian art and popular culture.
Covering the period from the Risorgimento to the Cold War, it
reveals the complexity of the visual discourses that bound two
relatively new nations together. It also gives substantial
attention to literary and critical texts that addressed the
evolving cultural relationship between Italy and the United States.
While American art history has tended to privilege French, British
and German ties, these chapters highlight a rich body of
contemporary research by Italian and American scholars that moves
beyond a discussion of influence as a one-way directive towards a
deeper understanding of cultural transactions that profoundly
affected the artistic expression of both nations. -- .
The anthology Law in Society explores how law shapes and is shaped
by societies. The selections stem from a view of law as an integral
part of the wider socio-political economy and one of its central
institutions. The introduction familiarizes students with
definitions and explanations of criminal law, explores the
functions of law, and provides an overview of the theories of law
covered in the rest of the book. The first section of the text
examines sources of law, natural law theory, and the concept of
positive or formal law. The second section considers the origins of
law in social structures and provides an overview of sociology of
law. The third section is devoted to sources of law and social
control such as custom, social norms, and group processes. The
final section introduces critical theories of law and considers
recent developments in alternative dispute resolution and
restorative justice. Through reading Law in Society students come
to recognize that as a society changes, so too do its laws and
legal system. The book is well suited to courses in criminal
justice and sociology, as well as those in social or cultural
anthropology.
"Crime and Behavior" combines theories of crime causation with
their implications for key policy questions relevant to today's
world. The anthology integrates theory and contemporary issues, and
provides encyclopedic readings by leading theorists of crime.
The introductory chapter provides an overview of theories that
link criminal acts and crime events to individual, social, cultural
and structural causes. Each section of "Crime and Behavior"
includes an introduction to the ideas that are presented in the
readings that follow.
The first section of the text examines micro-level theories of
crime and behavior, specifically individual and social process
theories including classical and rational choice theory, and social
learning. In the second part of the text, students consider
macro-level theories such as social ecology, anomie and strain, and
a variety of critical criminological theory from Marxist to
anarchist and from feminist to postmodernist explanations.
The interesting, student-friendly articles lay the foundation for
a systematic and more profound understanding of the roots of crime
in the 21st century.
"Crime and Behavior" can be used in courses on criminology,
sociology of crime and deviance, public affairs, and criminal
justice.
Sylvia Valenzuela holds a Ph.D. in criminology, law and society
from the University of California, Irvine, and is a lecturer in the
Department of Criminal Justice at San Diego State University.
Paul Kaplan has a Ph.D. in criminology, law and society from the
University of California, Irvine, and is an associate professor of
criminal justice in the School of Public Affairs at San Diego State
University.
Stuart Henry earned his Ph.D. at the University of Kent, United
Kingdom. Dr. Henry is a professor of criminal justice and Director
of the School of Public Affairs at San Diego State University. He
is the author or editor of 28 books, and over 100 professional
journal articles on topics ranging from criminological theory and
deviant behavior, to law and society, and occupational crime. His
books include "The Hidden Economy," "Criminological Theory,"
"Constitutive Criminology," "What is Crime?," " Essential
Criminology," "The Politics of Interdisciplinary Studies," and
"Social Deviance." Dr. Henry is the current co-editor of "Western
Criminology Review."
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