This book reveals how ableism permeates cultural portrayals of crime. What does it mean to consume crime narratives that are so thoroughly ableist? While there are many interpretations of crime in media, there is not yet a sustained analysis of its ableist underpinnings and the social and cultural significance of its seemingly endless consumption. Using a range of texts as illustrative material, each chapter explores a strand of the ableist imaginary, how it underpins crime narrativization, and how it is normalized via our consumption. This book argues that the portrayal of crime constitutes a major site for the articulation and defense of ableist thinking. As such, it is a cultural practice replete with symbolic, social and political effects that hamper the lives of disabled people while securing the privileges appended to bodyminds that pass as “normal.” Drawing on radical constructivist logic, this book speaks to those interested in representations of crime and contributes to the emerging subfield of crip criminology.

Ronald Kramer is Senior Lecturer in Criminology at University of Auckland, New Zealand. His previous books include Contesting Crime Science: Our Misplaced Faith in Crime Prevention Technology; Culture, Crime and Punishment; and The Rise of Legal Graffiti Writing in New York and Beyond.