Book review: Criminal Justice in Transition: The Northern Ireland Context
| Published date | 01 May 2016 |
| Date | 01 May 2016 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1177/0269758016628951 |
| Subject Matter | Book reviews |
shows exceptional honesty in her process and method – often missing from such monographs –
giving the book great reliability and integrity.
The final triangulation chapter (Chapter 6) looks at ‘individuation’ through analysis of (a) the
legal recognition and construction of male rape, (b) the policy associated with male rape (namely,
the Stern Review) and (c) the resultant provisions, giving particular regard to the organisation Rape
Crisis and its differential provisions for male victims. It was of interest that Ireland was singled out
as providing excellent practice, while the Rape Crisis Network Europe was described as ‘a travesty
of exclusivity’ (p.148). This chapter really brings the issues home: whilst the problem is situated
within structures that are highly visible and influential within the world of sexual violence, their
gendered and exclusive nature is shocking.
Throughout the book, Cohen refers to Christie’s ideal victim model and the notion of rape
myths in culture, highlighting the fact that, although these issues have been addressed and pro-
blematised in many cases for female victims of rape, for men, it is still very much present and
ignored. She situates this within a discussion around feminist discourse, which is often directly
linked with male rape, being seen as ‘a problem for feminism and a problem of feminism’ (p.170).
Indeed, Part 3 provides Cohen’s concluding thoughts, with one of the key take-home messages
being the fact that ‘pro-feminism is anti-feminist in its effects’ (p.155). Yet, the central tenet of the
book is that it is much more than that, and that we need to look at the matter of discourse and the
fact that the issues of male rape are less about feminism’s failure than about governmentality’s
success (p.170) – ‘the social construction of rape is no more a product of feminism than feminism
is a product of the social construction of rape’ (p.35).
Albeit unusual in its approach, and sometimes a little overwhelming in the number of references
to wade through in the written text, I thoroughly enjoyed this book, as will many others who have
an interest in the field of sexual violence, gendered victimisation, Foucauldianism and feminist
discourses. Although dealing with some quite high-level concepts, Cohen’s sit uation of them
within accessible areas of po pular culture enables a reader ne w to any of the subjects under
discussion to see the messages being given throughout. It is accessible, insightful, critical and
novel in its approach, and discusses the issues so clearly that it really does make you wonder why
we have not seen the issues at the heart of male rape so clearly before. I am already recommending
it to my students and colleagues, and am sure that many others will follow suit.
Anne-Marie McAlinden and Clare Dwyer (eds), with Foreword by Shadd Maruna,
Criminal Justice in Transition: The Northern Ireland Context.
Oxford: Hart Publishing, 2015, hbk, ISBN 9781849465779, xxiv þ386pp.
Reviewed by: Abigail Stark, University of Sheffield, UK
DOI: 10.1177/0269758016628951
Challenging the tendency to neglect Northern Ireland in criminological scholarship, this impressive
edited collection provides a critical examination of Northern Irish criminal justice in transition,
firmly situated in its historical, social, political and cultural context. McAlinden and Dwyer have
compiled a selection of essays that demonstrate the interplay between criminal justice and post-
conflict transition by exploring both features of criminal justice unique to Northern Ireland, and
198 International Review of Victimology 22(2)
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