ABSTRACT
Crime, criminals and how they are dealt with by society are topics of endless fascination. Look at any newspaper or glance at what’s on television or at the cinema and it is immediately clear that there is a vast and seemingly insatiable interest in crime and criminals. We are interested both in ‘real life’ crime and criminals and in fictional accounts. We could ask why there is so much interest in this area; even if many people break the law from time to time, most people are not involved in spectacular criminality, yet we seem to love to watch and read about it. Maybe such an interest demonstrates a sense of moral outrage and the enjoyment of seeing the wrongdoer punished and justice being done – given that in most fictional crime stories the criminals tend to come off worse eventually. Or perhaps it reflects a sympathy with the underdog and a degree of admiration for those who try to beat the system, with yesterday’s public enemies and villains having a habit of becoming present-day cult figures. Or maybe this interest just demonstrates the excitement and enjoyment gained from reading about and watching that which we ourselves would not engage in – a sort of substituted excitement or vicarious pleasure. Whatever the reasons, murder, robbery, fraud, drug smuggling, gang warfare, rape, football hooliganism and so on make good subjects of conversation and exciting and profitable films. Indeed a visitor from another culture might assume crime was a basic and ever present feature of everyone’s everyday lives. Yet apart from minor law breaking, very few people go on to become professional criminals. Question Break: Criminals as Celebrities
‘Mad Frankie Fraser’ a notorious (ex)gangster is now a popular speaker at social functions. The following extracts are taken from his own website:
Frank has been a contract strong-arm, club owner, club minder, company director, Broadmoor inmate, firebomber, prison rioter but – first and last – a thief. 26 convictions. 42 years inside. In the 60s Ron and Reggie Kray sought his services but Frank chose to pitch in with Charlie and Eddie Richardson and their South London alleged ‘Torture Gang’.
https://s3-euw1-ap-pe-df-pch-content-public-p.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/9780203833780/5dd7df69-ee8b-4385-b328-f1007af49c8b/content/fig1_1_B.tif" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"/>List other criminals that have become celebrities.
Why do you think people admire such criminals?
