Victims’ versus ‘offenders’ in British political discourse: the construction of a false dichotomy

Drake, Deborah H. and Henley, Andrew (2014) Victims’ versus ‘offenders’ in British political discourse: the construction of a false dichotomy. Howard Journal of Criminal Justice, 52 (2). pp. 141-157. ISSN 0265-5527

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Abstract

This article evaluates the contemporary discursive status of victims and people convicted of criminal offences. The rhetoric used by British politicians to convey the meaning of ‘rights’ is explored within media output, parliamentary speech-making and other forms of political discourse. Our analysis details how victims’ rights are sometimes advocated for at the expense of ‘offenders’’ rights in public discourse. Examination of parliamentary debates illustrates that differentiating between ‘victims’ and ‘offenders’ elides consideration of more meaningful support for victims, worsens opportunities for the reintegration of ex-prisoners and constructs a false dichotomy between citizens who do not fall into mutually-exclusive categories.

Item Type: Article
Additional Information: This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: Drake, D. H. and Henley, A. J. (2014), ‘Victims’ Versus ‘Offenders’ in British Political Discourse. Howard J Crim Justice, 53: 141-157, which has been published in final form at https://onlinelibrary.w...abs/10.1111/hojo.12057. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Use of Self-Archived Versions.
Schools/Departments: University of Nottingham, UK > Faculty of Social Sciences > School of Geography
University of Nottingham, UK > Faculty of Social Sciences > School of Sociology and Social Policy
Identification Number: 10.1111/hojo.12057
Depositing User: Wharton, Dr Janet
Date Deposited: 07 Sep 2018 18:19
Last Modified: 07 Sep 2018 18:40
URI: https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/id/eprint/53845

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