The tickle of curiosity. The gasp of discovery. Fingers running across the keyboard.

The tickle of curiosity. The gasp of discovery. Fingers running across the keyboard.

The World of Iniquus - Action Adventure Romance

Showing posts with label London. Show all posts
Showing posts with label London. Show all posts

Friday, January 2, 2015

Criminologists: Information for Writers with Diana Bretherick



Fiona -
Welcome, Diana. Can you tell the readers where you're from
and what you do (besides, of course, write fabulous books.)


Diana
Originally I am from Warwickshire in the heart of England, but I now live and work in Portsmouth, on the South Coast. I started my working life as a lawyer - a barrister. But after working in the law for 10 years, I wanted a change. So I worked as a counselor for prisoners in Brixton, London. At that time, I also began to study criminology - the theory of crime. I fell in love with that and became an academic.

Fiona -
Can you tell me more about the academic studies of criminal subjects?

Diana- 
I studied for a Masters in criminology and followed it with a PhD in Criminology - where I specialized in Crime and Popular Culture. I did a second Masters in Creative Writing, and I am now studying for a second PhD in Creative Writing. I have brought into my work my love of crime fiction - reading and writing it. The best thing about criminology is that it can incorporate lots of disciplines including policing, criminal law, forensics and psychology as well as cultural criminology. That's why I love it!

As a criminologist I study the causes and consequences of crime and teach at the University of Portsmouth. My particular interest is how crime and criminals are represented in the media and popular culture - so anything from the news to films and TV drama as well as crime fiction. My novel, City of Devils, is a historical novel set in 19th century Turin, home of the first criminologist Cesare Lombroso who is one of the central characters in my story. He believed that some criminals were born rather than bred into crime and that they shared characteristics of primitive man. He also thought that you could identify a criminal by looking at their physical characteristics. The novel tells the story of what happens when he is challenged to use his theories to solve a series of macabre murders. Each victim is horribly mutilated and left with a note, written in blood, saying 'A Tribute to Lombroso'.



Cesare Lombroso, Wikipedia
Fiona-
Very cool premise for a novel. So you don't study criminals directly. You are studying their portrayals?

Diana -
Correct, I look at news media, crime fiction, TV Drama, Films, Theater, etc. and analyse examples to see how crime and criminals are portrayed. This is how most people get their information about crime, so it is important to examine how these messages are conveyed to us. Also, I get to watch a lot of TV and movies and read lots of crime fiction which is a definite plus!

Fiona- 
I want that job! Can you tell us where the media gets it wrong? For example - if I am a writer, and I am basing criminal actions on a news account for my fictional work - what aspects would I be missing?

Diana-
The news media has a different agenda to just reporting news.
(Though they would like us to think they are devoted to giving us the facts.)
They are interested in selling newspapers, television
News Time
(Photo credit: Wikipedia)
programs, etc. They present things in a way that we, the audience, will find 'entertaining'. An example is with sex crimes. Usually offences committed by strangers get into the news, but it is acquaintance rape and other sexual offences that are more prevalent. We get the idea that there is more of this kind of crime than is the case. We also see individual offenders represented in particular ways. Women who commit violent offences are often portrayed as being either plain evil
or mad [crazy]. There may be a thousand other reasons for their
actions, but these are not reported. The drama of danger is perceived
as being much more interesting and salable, so that is what makes it
into the news. If you are researching a story for a novel, you will get a
distorted version. The facts may be there, but they are presented
according to the media's agenda. That can mean that accuracy is lost and/or blurred.

Fiona -
How are your studies applied? And are they funded by government grants?

Diana-
As a cultural criminologist my work informs my university teaching. I don't do funded research although some of my colleagues do on different subjects. I write about crime and culture and teach my students how to be discerning about the information they receive. I feel that it is important to inform people that what they see and read isn't always as reliable as they might think

Fiona- 
 In your book, City of Devils, with James Murray on the cusp of the new study of criminology - how does your research inform the book and your writing in general?


Amazon Link
Diana-
The idea for the book came from my teaching. I was in a seminar discussing with students about the beginnings of criminology. In particular we were discussing Cesare Lombroso, the Italian who is known as the "father of modern criminology." My students asked me whether or not he investigated crimes. I'm not sure that he did in reality, but he could in fiction. I decided to write about it and use a fictional character, James Murray, to ask the questions that we might want the answers to. He is though very loosely based on Arthur Conan-Doyle, writer of the Sherlock Holmes stories (created around the corner from where I live!) I drew on my knowledge of criminology and also early forensics. I wanted to show how people thought about crime and criminals then, and how it isn't that different today. The media tend to focus on individual criminals and so did early criminologists like Lombroso. Most crime fiction is packed full of criminological theories even though not all the authors are aware of them.



Fiona - 
Can you give me an example of a theory that you see writers using - that they may not know is a criminology theory at work?

Diana-
English: Old postcards and a magnifying glass.
 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
If you have a character who is motivated by the need for material goods, perhaps affected by a desire to have what others do, then they may be an example of Robert Merton's strain theory. People are surrounded by advertisements for things but may not be able to afford them, so they respond to the strain of this by stealing. Someone may commit a violent offence because they have a psychological propensity to do so, perhaps because of a brain abnormality or injury (neuro-criminology).

Fiona - 
Is there a resource that you can recommend to writers who want to write about criminals - their motivations and realities?

Diana-
First of all, check out a criminology text book that outlines the theories. Then try reading some accounts of their crimes written by criminals or criminologists. There are some great examples and most of them are from the US. Examples include:
* Sutherland, E. H. (1956).
* The Professional thief. Thrasher, F. M. (2000).
* The Gang: a Study of 1,313 Gangs in Chicago.
* And of course there are classics like Truman Capote's In Cold Blood - one of my absolute favorites.
* But the best book I've come across is by Jack Katz - Seductions of Crime.

Fiona -
One final question - please tell us about your favorite scar.

Diana -
I have two scars - each from an episode where my brain seems to have gone missing. The first is from chasing my dog in our garden when I was 5. I tripped over and cut my lip. The dog was fine! The second is from when I broke my arm. I had a plaster cast up to my elbow, it was itching and I stuck a pen down there to scratch it. You guessed it! The pen had a top but when it came out of my plaster - no top there. Embarrassing!

Thanks, Diana! 


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Monday, June 3, 2013

A Heroine's Plan to Escape a Car Abduction - Information for Writers

__________________________________



Cain surprises Tom and Sadie
 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
DISCLAIMER - This is a non-political site that is geared to help writers write it right. I am presenting in
formation to help develop fictional characters and fictional scenes. In no way am I advocating any position or personal decision.

Car abduction 


Statistically, being moved by an attacker from a primary location to a secondary location is extremely dangerous. Consider any movement to be imminently life-threatening.

Most abductions are done by someone who is known to the victim. The heroine should treat the perpetrator, known or not, as a deadly enemy and do everything in her power to escape.


Optimally, your heroine was on her toes. She was aware of her surrounding, and she was prepared
with a hand-held weapon such as a KUBOTAN, ASP, PEPPER SPRAY, or ELECTRIC WEAPON
(clicking on any of these links will take you to a how-to blog)


I took this picture on December 17th, 2006. It...
(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

But those heroines always seem to be getting themselves into trouble!


Escape Action Plan

1. Noise! Research shows that just making noise is a deterrent to a potential attack. Further, research has proven that yelling "help" is an ineffectual way to get help. When people hear help, they are alerted to a danger and move away. Screaming "fire" on the other hand has the opposite effect, people will come.

 * Video Bystander Effect


2. Resist - studies prove that resisting an unarmed assailant is an
  effectual way to thwart an attack. Unless there is a personal
  component such as a stalker or a vendetta, the attacker will look
  for a victim-personality. More on victims' behaviors at this link
  Your heroine's efforts make her too much trouble and too risky
   or the attacker.      


English: left limbic lobe(red). Polygon data a...
 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)


3.What if he has a weapon such
   as a gun or knife? 
  That's a trickier call. The best
   advice here is to let you limbic
   system tell you what to do. If
   you feel like an action is the 
   right one - even if it seems
   counter intuitive - trust that 
   your brain is processing
   more than is on the surface.
   LIMBIC BRAIN (this
   is a link to a blog about how
   your limbic system can
   get you out of trouble)

   Somehow he got the girl in the car and is
   taking her to another location:
   She must assume that the other location
   means death, so the heroine must take whatever
   action she can even if it causes her injuries.

1. Jump out of the car when it slows or stops in a
    populated area.
2. Cause the car to have an accident by pulling on the steering
    wheel  or suddenly shifting the gears
3. If the attacker stops the car for any reason, jam something into
    the ignition so that it can't be restarted.





If she is locked in the trunk: 


1. If she has been restrained she will need to break free
    If you need a tutorial on breaking out of tie rods or
    duct tape CLICK HERE and if she is handcuffed,
    CLICK HERE.
Front left of car
 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
2. Feel around  the trunk for a
    release latch (required
    on cars since 2000) Have her
    try to spot the
    location before the trunk is
    shut because she will be
    in pitch black. Most of the
    pulls are made of glow-
    in-the-dark material.
3. If none, search for a weapon to
    use once the trunk
    is opened.
4. Does she have her phone on her? Call 911 (This
    might have been missed if she carries it in her
    pocket or bra. Remember the attacker is
    experiencing an adrenaline rush, too.) Give as many
    details as possible about the car and the attacker.
5. She can attempt to kick in the back seat and crawl
    through to attack the driver.
6. She can attempt to kick out the brake lights to call
    attention to the vehicle, especially if this is seen by
    handy-dandy police officer who happens to be
    patrolling that stretch of highway.

VIDEO QUICK STUDY - FIGHT FOR YOUR LIFE (11:27)


If the heroine is taken to a location and not killed immediately, she might try:


1. Getting a hold of a phone and dialing 911 then walking away

   from the phone so the abductor's attention is not drawn to the
   movement, and the police might have time to trace the call.
2. Clog a toilet or create another distraction that might allow
   escape.
3. At night, flash the lights in a pattern of three repeatedly. Sets of
   three - horn blasts, light flicks, whistle blows are a universal sign
   of distress. (If you hear or see this, call authorities to investigate -
   you may be saving a life.)

VIDEOS
Older car escape using the locking mechanism (1:01)
Showing the escape chord (:55)
Safety Instructor Talking Through What He Tells His Students (8:56)

And on a final note, many cars have crawl-outs from the back seat. If your heroine goes into water, the back will float; the engine will sink. The passengers can escape through the trunk, in many cars. Authors, check on this possibility for your character's car. This might be something she remembered as a safety feature pointed out to her during the sales pitch.




Thank you so much for stopping by. And thank you for your support. When you buy my books, you make it possible for me to continue to bring you helpful articles and keep ThrillWriting free and accessible to all.