St Mary's Associate Professor Publishes book on Crime in the Media

Dr Maria Mellins, Associate Professor in Criminology and Sociology at St Mary's University, Twickenham has published a new edited textbook Critiquing Violent Crime in the Media in collaboration with Sarah Moore.

The book, published by Palgrave Macmillan, explores how representations of crime in the media have informed and misinformed understanding of crime and society, focusing on various crimes including stalking, human trafficking and serial murder.

There are a total of 14 chapters written by several academics from St Mary's and other institutions including fellow St Mary's academics Dr Carole Murphy on human trafficking and coercive control, Farhana Irshad on digital detectives and online spaces, and Bridgid Cherry on representations of homicide in the media. The chapters cover themes including gender, representations of victim-survivors and consumer culture.

Author Dr Maria Mellins said, "We are very pleased to have published Critiquing Violent Crime in the Media, which will be used as a textbook for Crime in the Media modules on undergraduate and postgraduate degrees. It will also be used as a resource for researchers and professionals. The project has been very collaborative, Sarah and I would like to thank the authors who have written such accessible, valuable chapters. I hope the book provides an important contribution to research and helps students to engage and reflect in the classroom."

The book is available for purchase on the Palgrave Macmillan website.