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Vigilantism, the press and signal crimes 2006 - 2007

conference contribution
posted on 2009-01-01, 00:00 authored by Ian WarrenIan Warren
The clear presence of vengeance as an underlying motive behind calls for self-help in the immediate aftermath of some violent homicides indicates that community protection is largely irrelevant where vigilantism is associated with these 'signal crimes'. This paper documents the characteristics of five major cases between 2006 and 2007 where the threat ofcommunity-generated vigilante activity received media coverage, the nature of that coverage, the role of police in cautioning the public to reassert their legitimacy and monopoly over the correct procedures for conducting criminal
investigations and the implications of these issues in light of the moral 'outrage' associated with the status of the victim in each case. In an era of increased community concern about crime, it appears vigilantism is an important rhetorical indicator of the level of collective insecurity prompted by fatal assaults, especially in regional areas characterised by underlying racial
tensions and cases involving vulnerable child victims. However, when viewed alongside the virtual victimhood promoted by stylised press reporting, it appears 'vigilantism' is a pertinent signifier of public anxiety over the timing, location and antecedents of some serious violent crimes, rather than a descriptor of any substantive community-generated measures aimed at promoting greater levels of public safety.

History

Event

Australian and New Zealand Critical Criminology Conference (3rd : 2009 : Melbourne, Vic.)

Pagination

275 - 284

Publisher

Monash University, Faculty of Arts

Location

Melbourne, Vic.

Place of publication

Melbourne, Vic.

Start date

2009-07-08

End date

2009-07-09

ISBN-13

9780980753004

Language

eng

Publication classification

E1 Full written paper - refereed

Editor/Contributor(s)

M Segrave

Title of proceedings

Australian and New Zealand Critical Criminology Conference

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