Law and Order: Images, Meanings, Myths

by Mariana Valverde

In living rooms across the country, Americans have fallen in love with law-related television programming. From primetime legal dramas such as Law and Order, The Guardian, CSI, JAG, and Judging Amy to a host of daytime courtroom spectacles including Judge Judy, People's Court, and Divorce Courtviewers are endlessly entertained by the practices of the criminal justice system. But with television courtrooms appearing more like the studio of The Jerry Springer Show than institutions of justice, and with weekly dramas seamlessly blending cutting-edge forensic science with exaggerated fictions, it calls to just what is it about these shows that has the public so captivated? And, what effects do the images of crime and order presented through the media have on society's view of the actual legal and criminal justice systems? In Law and Images, Meanings, Myths, Mariana Valverde draws on examples from film, television, and newspapers to examine these questions and to demonstrate how popular culture is creating an unrealistic view of crime and crime control. Valverde argues that understanding the impact of media representations of courtrooms, police departments, prisons, and the people who populate them is essential to comprehending the reality of criminal justice. Introducing a wealth of resources in social and cultural studies along with suggestions for classroom discussions and assignments, this book pushes the field of criminology in new and exciting theoretical directions. It is essential reading for students and scholars of criminal justice and law.

Genres: Nonfiction

184 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2006

Reviews

[Dafna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Though at the beginning I was very fascinated by the book - by Valverde's approach and the chapters on semiotics in particular - the closer I was getting to the end, the more boring the book seemed. Overall, I wish the book was more coherent. I really hoped that after laying out a lot of information on semiotics and how to do a semiotic analysis, Valverde with provide some very detailed examples, using films or TV shows on crime. However, the information that she offered in subsequent chapters was more of her conclusions about films and their social meanings rather than meticulous examples of film/TV show analysis. Still, it was a nice read.

[Alan Annand · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was the first book I've ever read by Valverde, and I was intrigued to discover she's written a dozen or more others along similar lines, ie, social justice. Basically I read this book as research for my own crime writing. As such, I found the chapters on deviance and crime, detection and forensics, psycho killers, and the representation of crime detection in novels, TV and movies to be highly instructive. The academic discourse was a bit dry in patches, but overall this was a readable and informative book

[__Brio.o · Rating 3 out of 5]

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