Sensationalist newspaper coverage of crime has been a matter of keen public interest. But what role has sensationalist reporting played in creating public understanding of the criminal justice system in England and Wales? This book provides an answer, presenting an engaging account of crime reportage from the late eighteenth century to the present day; from the era of specialist reporters to the days of modern investigative journalism. Written in a lively and accessible style and locating familiar crime stories from Constance Kent to Sara Payne in their contemporary presentations to newspaper readers, the chapters explore crime news in broadsheet, quality and tabloid publications and explain its importance to how the criminal justice system has been understood. The book identifies why particular crime stories came to public prominence and how these were constructed and presented for popular consumption, offering new ways of thinking about reportage and the criminal justice system.

This book seeks to unravel the issues associated with the crime of murder, providing a highly accessible account of the subject for people coming to it for the first time. It uses detailed case studies as a way of exemplifying and exploring more general questions of socio-cultural responses to murder and their explanation. It incorporates a historical perspective which both provides some fascinating examples from the past and enables readers to gain a vision of what has changed and what has remained the same within those socio-cultural responses to murder. The book also embraces questions of race and gender, in particular cultural constructions of masculinity and femininity on the one hand, and the social processes of 'forgetting and remembering' in the context of particular crimes on the other. Particular murders analysed included those of Myra Hindley, Harold Shipman and the Bulger murder.

Sexual Offences: Law and Context presents the substantive law governing sexual offending in England and Wales in its socio-legal and historical context. It outlines the complexities of the Sexual Offences Act 2003, associated pieces of legislation and the common law offences in a clear, linear narrative. The book highlights and discusses key themes in the contemporary law including rape and consent, sexual offences against children, abuse of people with mental disorders, pornography offences, and prostitution. It offers a critical discussion of challenges for the law and potential ways forward for the future. Designed to be a comprehensive overview, Sexual Offences: Law and Context will be an invaluable resource for students of law and criminology taking courses on sexual offences or pursuing research in this area.

Sexual Offences: Law and Context presents the substantive law governing sexual offending in England and Wales in its socio-legal and historical context. It outlines the complexities of the Sexual Offences Act 2003, associated pieces of legislation and the common law offences in a clear, linear narrative. The book highlights and discusses key themes in the contemporary law including rape and consent, sexual offences against children, abuse of people with mental disorders, pornography offences, and prostitution. It offers a critical discussion of challenges for the law and potential ways forward for the future. Designed to be a comprehensive overview, Sexual Offences: Law and Context will be an invaluable resource for students of law and criminology taking courses on sexual offences or pursuing research in this area.

This book seeks to unravel the issues associated with the crime of murder, providing a highly accessible account of the subject for people coming to it for the first time. It uses detailed case studies as a way of exemplifying and exploring more general questions of socio-cultural responses to murder and their explanation. It incorporates a historical perspective which both provides some fascinating examples from the past and enables readers to gain a vision of what has changed and what has remained the same within those socio-cultural responses to murder. The book also embraces questions of race and gender, in particular cultural constructions of masculinity and femininity on the one hand, and the social processes of 'forgetting and remembering' in the context of particular crimes on the other. Particular murders analysed included those of Myra Hindley, Harold Shipman and the Bulger murder.

Drawing together examples from broadsheet and tabloid newspapers this account of English crime reportage takes readers from the late eighteenth century to the present day. In the post-Leveson world, it is a timely and engaging contextualisation of the history of printed crime news and investigative journalism.