Biography in Criminology; Source and Product

Biography is commonly understood as the work of historians writing about the lives of deceased men and women who once were famous. A biography is generally written and it provides a description of the protagonist’s life, put in context of time and place. Within biography three types can be distinguished. The first type is the autobiography written by the protagonist themselves. The unauthorized biography, the second type, is written by an outsider who has not collaborated with the main character. In the third type of the authorized biography, writer and protagonist work together. Biography can be a source for criminology research, using this kind of content as ethnographic data. Structure, interaction and narrative are three perspectives to be distinguished, but biographies may contain a mix of these. Writing a biography can be done while the protagonist is incarcerated, but preferably they are at large.