Constructing Crime: Moral and Psychological Urgency in Online News Media Coverage of Judicial Proceedings in the John Worboys Case

Abstract

Forensic psychology has immense value and interest from criminal justice institutions and citizens alike. Representations of its contributions and controversies matter towards psychology as an academic and professional discipline, especially in promoting and inhibiting prosocial aims. This paper analyses thirty-three online news media articles covering criminal justice proceedings (2009–2018) in the high–profile John Worboys case in the United Kingdom (UK). Using critical discursive psychology, we analyzed how criminal justice system actors were invoked concerning common psychological issues. While some coverage was focused on offender motivations, echoing previous research, we also found numerous moralizing practices issuing blame and managing accountability of institutional bodies and actors involved in the case. Moral injunctions were widely used to protest (in)action with tangible urgency embedded in accusations of political, professional, and psychological bias. This paper underlines multiple future study directions on online news media coverage of criminal justice proceedings. The implications of online news media coverage for societal constructions of offending, justice, and parole board processes are discussed.