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Popular Criminological Representations of the Sutcliffe Case

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Revisiting the Yorkshire Ripper Murders

Part of the book series: Palgrave Studies in Victims and Victimology ((PSVV))

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Abstract

This next chapter expands upon the discussion of victims and representation to consider themes of gender, victimhood and representation as they appear within popular criminology. Focusing on depictions of the Sutcliffe murders in four works of true crime and crime fiction, the discussion will explore a number of themes relating to objectification and violence against women, as well as portrayals of sex workers and the police as they appear in the chosen texts. In doing so, the chapter assesses the criminological and political potential of these texts by considering if they offer more progressive and complex representations of women, victims and violence. Conversely, arguments which highlight the way in which these representations may merely reproduce and reinforce women’s objectification and subordination are also explored.

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  1. School of Social Sciences, Business, Law, Teesside University, Middlesbrough, UK

    Louise Wattis

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  1. Louise Wattis
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Correspondence to Louise Wattis .

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Wattis, L. (2018). Popular Criminological Representations of the Sutcliffe Case. In: Revisiting the Yorkshire Ripper Murders. Palgrave Studies in Victims and Victimology. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-01385-1_6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-01385-1_6

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  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-01384-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-01385-1

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