An exhibition of winning photographs from the Centre for Crime and Justice Studies' ‘What is Crime?’ competition are to be exhibited in a Brixton gallery in an attempt to get viewers thinking about the definition of crime.

The educational charity launched the competition to encourage photographers to take pictures that were more thought provoking than the typical crime-related images of police, prison bars and gangs. Instead it wanted people to capture images that would raise questions about morality and justice.

One such photograph pictures a man in Northern India attacking a twelve-year-old boy. The image seems to show an obvious act of violence against a boy and this appears to be the crime being pictures. However, the boy has a neurological condition that he developed after drinking contaminated water in the Hindon River, caused by years of pollution. The photographer in this case wanted the onlooker to ask themselves, ‘which is the greater crime?’

The competition and exhibition is split into three categories, Environment, Finance and Violence and was open to anyone who wished to enter, attracting both professional and amateur photographers.

Anna Gilmour, the competition’s organiser says, "the entries weren't necessarily judged on the excellence of the photograph, but on whether people had understood the ideas and themes and executed their response well.

The exhibition is being displayed at Brixton’s 198 Gallery from 9 July to 28 August 2009.