Abstract

Injustice narratives are a trend of true crime documentaries that focus on the accused, or convicted perpetrators of crime. This chapter examines the trend and specifically how Making a Murderer (2015, Demos & Ricciardi) encourages audiences to “get to know” convicted felons Stephen Avery and Brendan Dassey. It also explores how the series attempts to validate their appeals, understand their convictions and critique the institutions involved, thus providing opportunities for the men to be acknowledged as more than just the crime to which they are connected. Making a Murderer challenges prevailing opinions in the justice system that argue ‘getting to know’ the accused/convicted hinders the objective processing of facts. However, such tactics do raise questions; does encouraging audiences to consider the emotional aspects of enacting justice simply reinforce true crime media as entertainment or can it promote more active critical debates about justice and fair practice in the institutions involved?