Goodies and Baddies: The Presentation of German Police and Criminals in East and West Television Drama’

Abstract

Criminal Justice does not only consist of identifying and sentencing unwanted and thus outlawed behaviour but also of the perception of members of society and hence its presentation in public. This paper analyses the one police drama that has been broadcast in the former GDR since 1971, called “Polizeiruf 110”. I want to present this East German police television programme, showing how the state used the entertainment media for its educational purposes, and reveal in what ways it tried to promote particular perspectives about crime, police, society and the state. At the same time as looking at the official presentation of crime and law enforcement it analyses as well the voice of the artists and filmmakers involved regarding their presentation of society. Comparing with the data that we have today about criminal justice in the former GDR I want to show how valuable culture, and in this case TV programmes are as a historical source for the analysis and evaluation of a criminal justice system.

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