ABSTRACT
The title of this chapter is taken from the fascinating book by Jack Katz (1988) in which he explores the emotional aspects of breaking the law. His argument is that crimes are supported by the feelings that are created by carrying them out. One process that gives some dynamism to considerations about emotions is to think of them as part of an unfolding narrative, such as the sadness of a tragedy or the joys of a romance. This idea is developed to consider the implicit or explicit roles that people play when being a criminal.
As a further illustration of the questionnaire survey method, the study proposed in this chapter consists of administering and analysing a simplified version of the narrative role questionnaire (NRQ) (Youngs & Canter, 2012). This was developed for use with criminals as a way of exploring their personal narratives: being a victim, being a hero, being a professional, and acting out revenge.
Access to convicted people to collect this data is difficult, so an example is given of surveying people available through social media, asking them to consider minor illegal activity and misdemeanours.
