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The emotional particulars of working on rape cases: Doing dirty work, managing emotional dirt and conceptualising ‘tempered indifference’

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posted on 2020-01-29, 09:23 authored by Clare E. Gunby, Anna Carline
This paper asks: In what ways are the work of rape barristers dirty, with a particular focus on emotional dirt? What impact do clients’ burdensome emotions and affects have on barristers and what mechanisms are used to manage this taint? Based on 39 interviews with advocates from four English cities, we argue that emotional dirt is central to the taint of the role. Barristers must distance themselves from emotional dirt in order to maintain objectivity, yet simultaneously invest in those emotions in order to convince a jury. In these contradictory circumstances, barristers employ what we term ‘tempered indifference’, a form of emotional work premised on strategically turning emotions down. However, the subsequent ability to turn them back on remains debatable.

Funding

This work was supported by a BA/Leverhulme Small Research Grant 2013-14 round [grant number: SG131987].

History

Citation

The British Journal of Criminology, azz054, https://doi.org/10.1093/bjc/azz054

Author affiliation

/Organisation/COLLEGE OF SOCIAL SCIENCES, ARTS AND HUMANITIES/Department of Criminology

Version

  • AM (Accepted Manuscript)

Published in

British Journal of Criminology

Publisher

Oxford University Press (OUP) for King's College London, Centre for Crime and Justice Studies

issn

0007-0955

eissn

1464-3529

Acceptance date

2019-07-11

Copyright date

2019

Publisher version

https://academic.oup.com/bjc/advance-article/doi/10.1093/bjc/azz054/5543977

Notes

The file associated with this record is under embargo until 24 months after publication, in accordance with the publisher's self-archiving policy. The full text may be available through the publisher links provided above.

Language

en

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