In an innovative departure from the much-studied field of 'crime in the media', this lively book focuses its attention on the forces of law and order - how they visualize and represent danger and criminality, and how they represent themselves as authorities.

Introduction. Semiotic Tools for Analyzing Representations. Sociological Questions about Representations. Police Pictures. The Forensic Gaze: The World as a Set of Clues. Visualizing Criminogenic Spaces. Crusading Lawyers, Crooked Lawyers: American Litigiousness and Representation. The Prison as a Movie Set. Gruesome Pictures