In most cases our fear of crime is much higher that the likelihood of us actually being a victim of crime. The media This term refers to television, radio, newspapers, the internet and magazines to name but a few, when looking at crime, the media can often present a distorted view of reality which can in turn make us more fearful of crime. In essence, the media need to have newsworthy stories for us to read and so will select the most shocking stories to report on. This can give the public the impression that such
Williams and Dickinson (1993) found British newspapers devote up to 30% of their news space to crime. However while the mass media show interest in crime they give a distorted image of crime, criminals, and policing. For example compared to the picture of crime we gain from official statistics the media over represent violent and sexual crime. For example Ditton and Duffy (1983) found that 46% of media reports were about violent or sexual crimes, yet these made up only 3% of all crimes recorded by the police. The media portray criminals and victims as older and more middle class than those found typically in the criminal justice system.
On television 53% of all crime stories on ITN and BBC were murder and death (Cumberbotch 1995; 25). Homicide in Britain is the most prominent crime in news stories. This may be due to the public’s perception that they fear crime or are intrigued by the sensationalism portrayed by the media reporting of the crime. This public perception may also be influenced by television shows which highlight homicide as the master crime. Certainly, the explicit nature of these shows enhances a fear of crime in society.
The powerful such as the police have the power to decide what gets reported to the public and use the mass media to enhance control by creating fear within society. This is emphasised by General Director of the BBC Michael Grade who reported that “the effect of crime reporting by the media is almost inevitably to increase fear…the public receives only a distorted impression” (Grade 1989). The term ‘moral panics’ is mainly associated Stanley Cohen. Cohen defines moral panics as “a condition, episode, person, or group persons emerges to become defined as a threat in societal values and interests; its nature is presented in a stylised and stereotypical fashion by the mass media” (Cohen, 1972.p.9). According to Cohen moral panics are part of a collective behaviour where there is panic over a particular behaviour seen as deviant
In any form, terrorism sends a message. Terrorists, governments, and the media see the function, roles and responsibilities of the media when covering terrorists’ events from differing and often competing perspectives. Such perspectives drive behavior during terrorist incidents, often resulting in both tactical and strategic gains to the terrorist operation and overall terrorist cause. The challenge to both the governmental and press communities is to understand the dynamics of terrorist enterprise and to develop policy options designed to serve the interests of government, the media, and the society. Terrorists must have publicity in some form if they are to gain attention, inspire fear and respect, and secure favorable understanding of their cause, if not their act.
I have concluded that substance abuse is a huge contributor to crimes being committed. The lack or decrease in moral intuition and character can cause a person to make bad decisions. This would cause people not to understand the benefits of to abiding to common social values. A person demographics can also play a role in determining whether or not an individual will turn to a life of crime. Government officials, politicians, and courts employees have concluded that individuals commit crimes for private alternatives and they should be punished and held responsible for their actions and conduct.
It is believed that people commit crimes because of the effects of drugs. This counts for purchasing and/or selling drugs. We see from research that there are theories which explain the effects of drug usage on crime. I studied the chapter on explaining drug crime with the Criminological Theory. From this, we see that the criminological theory examines crime, criminals, and the environment in an effort to explain criminal behavior.
The citizens feel they are guilty until proven innocent. There can be uprising in communities where these actions are taking place causing more instability in high crime areas. When a suspect is arrested, they are more likely to resist arrest due to the perception that they may be abused while in custody. The law enforcement code and the cop code are tied to public perceptions on the role of law enforcement because the citizens believe the complete force is corrupt due to the actions of a few officers. The actions of just a few officers are put on the news for viewers to see.
A "profile" is a coherent set of facts - known conditions and observable behavior that indicate a particular individual may be engaged in criminal activity. The technique of "profiling" is a well-known and long-standing law enforcement tactic. In fact racial profiling can make us less safe. Multiple studies have shown that when police focus on factors such as race, they tend to pay less attention to actual criminal behavior. This is a dangerous trend that can inhibit effective law enforcement and ultimately endanger the lives of all persons who depend on law enforcement for protection.
Ethically it is safer for this topic to be researched through literature. This is due to gangs been secretive and also it is a very unstable culture which can flare up at any time. Also as the research is on youths, this can always cause ethic problems, also it can