Why They Went Bad: Criminology in Crime Films
Nicole Rafter · 2006
Abstract Crime films serve as a cultural resource, creating a reservoir of images and stories on which viewers draw when they think about the causes of crime. Many crime films also endorse a particular explanation of crime. Whether they merely hint at a criminological theory or beat us over the head with one, crime films expose viewers to national (even international) debates about the causes of crime. Films draw on popular criminological explanations and in turn embody these explanations, feeding them back to mass audiences.