“There’s a TV Show for That”: Feminist Criminology at Work in Television Crime Dramas

• In Event: Roundtable: Media Criminology

Abstract

As a branch of critical criminology that places gender and patriarchy at the focal point of investigation, Feminist Criminology is often not well understood. This lack of understanding extends to students who are in criminology and criminal justice programs at colleges and universities around the world. The aim of this discussion is to explore how popular media might be used to illustrate and engage with issues of interest to Feminist Criminologists. Specifically, television crime dramas that explore issues such as women in the male-dominated occupation of policing and gendered crime and victimization related to patriarchy will be highlighted and discussed through select examples in these television series. Discussions of sexual violence in crime dramas will include issues of consent, reporting, aftermath, and rape culture, with attention to how intersectionality, a core focus of Feminist Criminology, is addressed within televisual presentations.

Author

• Danielle M. Soulliere, University of Windsor