Dimitris Akrivos
University of Essex, School of Law and Human Rights Centre, Faculty Member
Research Interests:
This thesis is a case study of suicide reporting which investigates the contribution of the British national press to the construction of the Bridgend problem. It aims to provide an insight into journalists’ role in the ‘social problems... more
This thesis is a case study of suicide reporting which investigates the contribution of the British national press to the construction of the Bridgend problem. It aims to provide an insight into journalists’ role in the ‘social problems game’ by assessing the level to which their post-2008 extensive Bridgend coverage rose concern over the issue and compelled an official response to it. To this end, the content of 451 relevant news reports was qualitatively analysed and in-depth interviews with 13 key claims-makers were conducted. The thesis documents the evolution of the Bridgend problem over time. The elements that added to the newsworthiness of the story and resulted in its transition from the local to the national press are identified and closely examined. The analysis of the national news coverage reveals the central role of ‘causality’ and ‘morality’ in the Bridgend narrative as well as four main frames through which the local suicide problem has been made sense of: ‘Internet S...
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The report presented here refers to the preliminary findings of the evaluation of the pilot project with a group of Level 4 Applied Criminology students. Whilst it is acknowledged that these findings have limited statistical significance... more
The report presented here refers to the preliminary findings of the evaluation of the pilot project with a group of Level 4 Applied Criminology students. Whilst it is acknowledged that these findings have limited statistical significance due to the small number of participants in the pilot project, some important trends can still be identified in the answers provided.
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This book explores the links between crime, deviance and popular culture in our highly-mediatised era, offering an insight into the cultural processes through which particular practices acquire a criminal or deviant status, and come to be... more
This book explores the links between crime, deviance and popular culture in our highly-mediatised era, offering an insight into the cultural processes through which particular practices acquire a criminal or deviant status, and come to be seen as social problems. Adopting a multidisciplinary approach, the edited collection brings together international scholars across various areas of specialisation to provide an up-to-date analysis of some important and topical issues in 21st-century popular culture. The chapters look at different aspects of popular culture, including fictional detective narratives and the true crime genre, popular media constructions of sexual deviance and Islamophobia, sports, graffiti and outlaw biker subcultures. The authors examine a wide range of relevant case studies through a number of crime and deviance-related theories. Crime, Deviance and Popular Culture will be of importance to scholars and students across several disciplines, including criminology, soc...
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The concluding chapter discusses the significance of popular criminology, revisiting the key issues addressed in the different chapters of the book. It highlights the diversity of contemporary crime-and-deviance-related popular culture... more
The concluding chapter discusses the significance of popular criminology, revisiting the key issues addressed in the different chapters of the book. It highlights the diversity of contemporary crime-and-deviance-related popular culture and provides an outlook for future research in the field.
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Building on the view of popular culture as a conduit through which social problems are defined, debated or even resolved (Maratea & Monahan, Social Problems in Popular Culture. Bristol: Polity Press, 2016), this chapter evaluates the... more
Building on the view of popular culture as a conduit through which social problems are defined, debated or even resolved (Maratea & Monahan, Social Problems in Popular Culture. Bristol: Polity Press, 2016), this chapter evaluates the contribution of fictional television to the demarginalisation of the male victim of sexual violence. The research adopts a case study design and offers an ethnographic content analysis of ABC’s American Crime. It highlights the blaming and stigmatisation of the male rape victim, the shortcomings of the dominant feminist framing of sexual victimisation as well as the failure of the criminal justice system to effectively handle male rape cases. The author concludes that ‘socially aware’ TV shows like American Crime could serve as a form of ‘edutainment’: they have the strong potential to push back against dominant male rape myths and offer a better insight into the victims’ experiences, getting audiences much more emotionally involved than pertinent factu...
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The introductory chapter sets out the collection’s theoretical framework, which favours a view of popular culture as an arena where issues of crime, deviance, criminal victimisation and justice are debated and negotiated. It draws... more
The introductory chapter sets out the collection’s theoretical framework, which favours a view of popular culture as an arena where issues of crime, deviance, criminal victimisation and justice are debated and negotiated. It draws attention to the mediatisation of the crime problem and the increasing academic interest in the interrelationship between crime, deviance and popular culture in the twenty-first century. In addition, this chapter introduces the five thematic sections of the collection and outlines the topics addressed in the chapters of each section.
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This book analyses the criminalisation of the possession of extreme pornography through ss 63-68 of the Criminal Justice and Immigration Act 2008. It documents the legislative history of the offence and offers a criminological perspective... more
This book analyses the criminalisation of the possession of extreme pornography through ss 63-68 of the Criminal Justice and Immigration Act 2008. It documents the legislative history of the offence and offers a criminological perspective on the role of the media in the construction of the extreme pornography problem. It evaluates the elements of the s 63 offence and critically reflects upon their weaknesses. Moreover, the book presents an up-to-date account of the number of prosecutions initiated and convictions obtained under s 63 since it came into force, alongside an exploration into the corresponding sentencing trends. The first study of its kind in England and Wales since the controversial legal provisions at issue came into effect in 2009, this book contributes new evidence to the application of the extreme pornography provisions and will play an important role in shaping debates on the prosecution of similar offences in the coming years. This book will serve as an invaluable...