Visual Criminology: Crime, Criminal Justice, and the Image

We intend to organise, in the seminars, the consolidation, systematization and further exploration of an emerging field of inquiry, i.e. 'visual criminology', as follows:

Seminar 1: Criminalization and Accusation

Two distinct but related themes will be dealt with here. The first goes under the heading 'The Image, Accused' and explores the image as part of an object to be criminalized and persecuted (an obvious illustration here is offered by the Danish Mohamed cartoons in Jyllands-Posten). The second theme, 'The Image, Accusing', is the reverse side of this coin. Here the image belongs to the criminalizing, accusing subject (e.g. war photography). Both the accused object and the accusing subject are in many ways connected. Very often the accusing image is itself accused e.g. for doing what it does, accusing. The overall question that will focus the debates in this seminar is, 'How does the image come to accuse, and how does it actually do the accusing?', or, 'How does the image come to be accused?'

Seminar 2: Crime and Space

There will be two themes in this seminar also. The first, 'Images of Criminal Space', looks into how the image represents and reflects (on) the geographical distribution of social problems, including crime. To put it more precisely, the emphasis here is on the reflection upon, or of, representations and therefore also of reputations of geographical spaces (e.g. 'no-go zones' in 'dangerous' neighbourhoods). But images themselves of course also have a reputation, and they too travel through geographical space (e.g. pornography, graffiti, and so on). Their travels form the focus of the second theme, i.e. 'The Movement of Deviant Images'. This seminar then is about the geographical and spatial distribution and movement of image and reputation.

Seminar 3: Crime and Explanation

Again there will be two themes in this seminar. With the first, 'Images Explaining Crime', an attempt will be made to contribute to the answer to the criminological question par excellence, i.e. How can images shed light on, or indeed 'explain' crime? Are there images whose purpose is to explain crime? What can we learn from images that 'frame' crime? What does a picture of Jamie Bulger holding hands with his killers tell us? The second theme, 'The Criminal Image Explained', is once again the reverse side of a coin. The question here, many will agree, is a traditional one in criminology: How to explain the emergence and circulation of 'criminal' images? How, for example, can we explain the emergence of 'shocking' art, for example, and how to explain its reception and circulation?

Seminar 4: The Uses of the Image in Crime Control and Criminal Justice

Both seminars 4 and 5 refer to the relationship between, on the one hand, the image, and, on the other, the workings of the criminal justice system. Images are often used in crime control and throughout the criminal justice process. From crime prevention to criminal investigation and policing, from criminal trials to punishment and imprisonment, images have their practical uses (e.g. in crime scene investigations, during court trials, in crime prevention projects, etc). The aim of this seminar is to explore and analyse the promise and the pitfalls of such uses. A half-day event (presentations and panel discussion) involving practitioners in crime prevention will form part of this seminar.

Seminar 5: Images of Crime Control and Criminal Justice

Practices of crime control and criminal justice are very often the object of visual representation, and have been throughout history (see e.g. Carrabine, 2011; Fiddler, 2011). The critical and contextual analysis of images of crime control and criminal justice is the main focus of this seminar.

A website dedicated to visual criminology will be maintained continuously during the series and beyond (please see the 'Pathways to Impact' document) for the benefit of researchers and practitioners.

Non-academic beneficiaries include:


1) Practitioners in the field of crime control and criminal justice.

Practitioners involved in this seminar series are likely to benefit directly from participation. Since the aim of the series is to contribute to the systematization research and reflection on the role and place of the visual and the image not just in academic criminology but also in the practices of crime control and criminal justice, practitioners in those areas will be direct beneficiaries of this project. Practitioners in crime prevention in particular should be mentioned here.


2) Artists and Curators

The seminar series also involves the participation of artists (photographers, documentary film makers, and other visual artists) and curators. All confirmed participants (please see the attachments) have already produced and/or published work that explored the connections between the visual and the image on the one hand and crime, and problems of crime control, on the other. Participants may directly benefit from the seminar series through the exchange of ideas with academics and practitioners. Other artists and curators may benefit from the seminar series by consulting the outputs of the series, by joining the 'visual criminology network', and by visiting and consulting the website, the online materials, and the announcements about further initiatives posted there (please refer to the attachments for further information on this).


3. The list below provides an overview of both government and non-government organisations which have been identified as having a potential interest in the findings of this seminar series as well as in the (further) activities generated in and by the 'visual criminology network' which will operate using the aforementioned website:

Home Office
Ministry of Justice
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
Department for Communities and Local Government
Local Police (e.g. Staffordshire Police) and Police Authorities
Local Authorities (e.g. Newcastle-under-Lyme and Stoke-on-Trent Borough Councils)
NACRO
Crime Concern
National Community Safety Network
Centre for Crime and Justice Studies
Howard League for Penal Reform
The British Film Institute
UK Museums (via the Museum Association)

4. Each seminar will generate information that could inform policymakers. The seminars will therefore incorporate the participation of national and local government officials.
It is important to note, however, that the discussions will be aimed at the highest intellectual level possible with the objective of systematizing and revising current states-of-the-art and progressing towards novel theoretical and policy-relevant elaborations. However, participants will be briefed in advance on the participation of policy officials so they can adapt their language accordingly. In seminar 4 an additional, special half-day workshop will be reserved specifically for the dialogue between academics on the one hand and practitioners and policy makers in the field of crime prevention and community safety on the other.
After each seminar a brief indicating the main discussions and their conclusions will be prepared by the designated applicant/discussant (please see the attachments for detailed information on this) and published on the 'Visual Criminology Network' website which forms part of this project. Participants will be asked to facilitate updated bibliographies on their projects and indeed to register their projects on the website so that they can be readily available to policymakers, academics, practitioners, and the general public.
Every seminar will have at least two coffee breaks and a lunch which will be organised as networking spaces. Keele University disposes of excellent facilities that are suited for this purpose.