David writes academic and more popular books about crime and punishment.  A paperback version of his most recent true crime book - A History of British Serial Killing, published by Sphere was released in February 2011.  He has published two other true crime books for Sphere – Hunting Evil: Inside the Ipswich Serial Murders, and The Lost British Serial Killer: Closing the Case on Peter Tobin and Bible John.  His literary agent is Gordon Wise at Curtis Brown on 0207 393 4420. 

His most recent academic book is Looking for Laura: Public Criminology and Hot News, published by Waterside Press.  He is currently researching and writing about the Victorian serial killer Mary Ann Cotton.

Previous Books

Serial Killers: Hunting Britons and their Victims, 1960-2006; Waterside Press, 2007.  A scholarly account of serial killing in the UK but based on the victims of serial killers, rather than the “medical-psychological” tradition of understanding the motivation of the serial killer.

Student Handbook of Criminal Justice & Criminology (with John Muncie); Cavendish 2004. A textbook reference on all aspects of criminal justice and criminology. [MORE]

Images of Incarceration (with Sean O'Sullivan); Waterside Press 2004. An examination of the role of prison in films. [MORE]

Innocence Betrayed: Paedophiles, the Media & Society (with Jon Silverman); Polity Press; 2002. Here, David explores the role of the media and society in conflating fears about paedophiles. [MORE]

What Everyone in Britain Should Know About the Police (with John Ashton & Doug Sharp); Blackstone Press 2001. An introduction to the history, culture and politics of policing. [MORE]

What Everyone in Britain Should Know About Crime & Punishment (with John Ashton); Blackstone Press 2001. An introduction to the theories and workings of crime and punishment. [MORE]

The Longest Injustice: The Strange Story of Alex Alexandrowicz Waterside Press 1999. The moving account of a man imprisoned for 22 years and whose guilt is questioned. [MORE]

The Prison Governor: Theory & Practice (with Shane Bryans); Prison Service Journal 1997. An introduction to the role, history and duties of the prison governor. [MORE]

Journals

David Wilson is co-editor, with Tony Fowles, of the Howard Journal of
Criminal Justice, published five times each year by Blackwell Publishing and the Howard League for Penal Reform. [MORE]

Recent Academic Articles

“’I’m Making a TV Programme Here!’: Reality TV’s Banged Up and Public Criminology,” The Howard Journal of Criminal Justice, Vol 49, Issue 1, pp.1-17 (with Nic Groombridge), February 2010

News of the Screws: A Critical Analysis of Some Recent Prison Officer Autobiographies, The Prison Service Journal, pp.3-9, March 2010

“When Serial Killers Go Unseen: The Case of Trevor Joseph Hardy,” Crime Media Culture, Vol 6 No 2, pp. 153-167 (with Harriett Tolputt, Nick Howe and Diane Kemp), August 2010