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

Drake, Deborah H.; Henley, Andrew J.

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.

Citation

Drake, D. H., & Henley, A. J. (2014). ‘Victims’ versus ‘offenders’ in British political discourse: the construction of a false dichotomy. Howard Journal of Criminal Justice, 53(2), 141-157. https://doi.org/10.1111/hojo.12057

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Jul 1, 2013
• Online Publication Date: Dec 10, 2013
• Publication Date: 2014-05
• Deposit Date: Aug 7, 2018
• Publicly Available Date: Aug 24, 2018
• Journal: The Howard Journal of Criminal Justice
• Print ISSN: 0265-5527
• Publisher: Wiley
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 53
• Issue: 2
• Pages: 141-157
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/hojo.12057
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/958623
• Publisher URL: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/hojo.12057
• 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.wiley.com/doi/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.