CRIM1010 Chapter Notes - Chapter 2: Habitual Offender, Crime Prevention, The Fortunes
30 Jun 2018
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White, R and Perrone, S (2015) Crime, Criminality and Criminal Justice, Oxford University
Press. Chapter 2.
Popular images of crime
the electronic and print media have significant influence on the general portrayal of crime
the media has tremendous impact on the conceptualisation of crime in the society
in media programs and reportage, crime tends to be constructed as ‘street crime’
(robbery, assault)
the sensationalisation of crime, has important implications for the fear of crime
(emotions) among certain sections of the population
crime is often related to morality (right of wrong) and specifically to the decline of
morality
the media portrays the message that these a continuing ‘law an order’ problem in society,
against this tide the police and other crime fighters are seen as ‘superheroes’ who use
legitimate violence/power to stop the problem
the media play a central role in shaping our impressions of crime and crime control,
generating for legal changes and reinforcing type of policing strategies
For example, moral panic —> ‘king hits’
ochanges in laws
ointroduction of one punch laws
oadoption of certain police methods
othe interests of the police and media are intertwined
Popular images of crime control
- In crime control, the usual process is that once a crime has been brought to the attention of
authorities, investigation will generally lead to detection and capture of the offender
- This is different, as the reality of much police work in regards to street crimes not proceeding
to the prosecution stage
- the nature of actual policing is misconstrued; interviewing, research, traffic regulation is
generally absent
- another facet of fictional accounts, police are not accountable to anyone —> deemed as
always honest and incorruptible regardless of the evidence showcases the corruption of
police
evident in; Fitzgerald Inquiry into police in QLD (Fitzgerald 1986) and Wood (1997) inquiry in
NSW reveals widespread and systematic corruption
- the overall perception of police work tends to be shared predominantly by the media
Media presentations of policing
- although media portrayals of the police vary considerably, fictional image of police work
gives us some insight into the stereotypical roes and styles of police
- major role of criminology is to separate out the myths and the simplistic representations of
policing from the realities and the complexities of actual policing
- Common media stereotypes include:
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•the rogue cop: the officer who uses unconventional methods to catch the ‘bad guys’ and
employs violent techniques that overstep legal boundaries
•the boy scout: does things by the book, and is honest and incorruptible and one who smiles,
speaks nicely to everyone and treats them fairly throughout the investigatory process
•the crazy cop: bit twisted by essentially okay, the craziness is necessary to handle the serious
situations being faced, such as drug busts, espionage and anti terrorist raids
•the superhero: endowed with distinctive special qualities, these may be physical such as
superhuman strength or expertise in martial arts, or they may be technological, such as
reliance upon extraordinary weapons or advanced computer systems
•the sleuth: the officer who uses brains rather than brawn in order to outwit the criminal
mind, and who generally is more sophisticated and education than the average cop
the representation of women
in detective novels they have been well represented at crime scenes and in a variety of
roles
many recents programs incorporate active female characters in a wide range of policing
capacities e.g. Law & Order and Homeland
issues: less about omission of women from certain police work but more about the
problems they encounter e.g. sexists remarks
ooverstate the extent of a women’s involvement in senior management or
criminal investigation positions
oidea conveyed by most fictional accounts it that policing is largely a masculine
role
omedia portray construed representation of police being consumed in crime
control and as crime fighters
Crime waves and moral panic
deviancy as such is not always presented in the media as a bad thing
deviance can be presented in different forms;
oa problem
onegative
oa social problem
odue primarily to the unique features of an individual
osomething to be worried about
osomething requiring some kids of state of societal response
for purpose of crime drama, deviancy is not always criminal it alludes to variation from a
presumed ‘norm’ or ‘standard’ of behaviour, activist, appearance or capability
the portrayal of certain people or acts as bad or evil depend upon social context and the
social content of media representations
crime tends to be formed in two major ways; through crime waves and moral panics
the media is a profit driven mechanism, with an objective to sell its products by capturing
as wide a share of the market as possible
the media pains a sensationalised portrait of crime
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the media tend to ‘frame’ particular group and individuals through specific sorts of
typification
analysis of young people are presented in the media for e.g. white, middle class kids are
considered good, and minority or Indigenous and working class young people are bad
Crime wave reporting
- the selectivity of media representations of crime is also manifest in the construction of ‘crime
waves’
- the focus upon certain events and serious street crimes, the media is able to influence public
perceptions of crime trends by increasing social awareness of a certain type of crime
- the media shapes our perceptions of crime, and in the process they define crime in particular
ways
- a crime wave ‘works’ from the point of view of media sales because of the sensational nature
of whichever crime the media focuses on
- crime wave reporting can touch a public nerve because reporting tends to based upon
specific notions of risk and vulnerability
- the sensationalism surrounding crime waves can result in public moral panics and a
heightened fear of crime
Consequences of crime waves
- crimes waves thus can and do have real consequences, regardless of factual basis
- for example, extensive media coverage of child abuse has ed to changes in law, such as the
introduction of mandatory reporting of suspected incidents
- the potential crime wave can be frightening as the actual one off event
Moral panic
- the notion of ‘crime wave’ is closely linked but separate from the concept of ‘moral panic’
- refers to concept developed by Cohen (1972) in his study of Mods and Rockers in England
• showed how outrage was created by the media in the way they demonised certain groups
(e.g. spectacular youth subcultures) as being deviant and a threat to the social and moral
order
-the moral panic
is inherently media driven, but incorporates a wide variety of stakeholders and opinion
makers
involve societal condemnation of specific activities
serves to clarify (from particular points of view) the moral boundaries of the society in which
they occur, seemingly creating consensus and mutual concern
characterised by a series of interconnecting element
embody notions of deviance and a public awareness that there is a social problem that must
be addresses
demand collective action on the part of the public and thus the mobilisation of concerned
people to address and change special social conditions
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Document Summary
White, r and perrone, s (2015) crime, criminality and criminal justice, oxford university. The electronic and print media have significant influence on the general portrayal of crime. The media has tremendous impact on the conceptualisation of crime in the society. In media programs and reportage, crime tends to be constructed as street crime" (robbery, assault) The sensationalisation of crime, has important implications for the fear of crime (emotions) among certain sections of the population. Crime is often related to morality (right of wrong) and specifically to the decline of morality. The media portrays the message that these a continuing law an order" problem in society, against this tide the police and other crime fighters are seen as superheroes" who use legitimate violence/power to stop the problem. The media play a central role in shaping our impressions of crime and crime control, generating for legal changes and reinforcing type of policing strategies.
