NCJ Number
125773
Editor(s)
R Surette
Date Published
1990
Length
312 pages
Annotation
This anthology of papers reviews research pertinent to the influence of the media on criminal justice issues and policies, notably in the areas of individual behavior, public attitudes, and criminal justice agenda-setting.
Abstract
The first section contains eight chapters that address media influences on individual antisocial behavior. Topics covered include the influence of television portrayals of violence on viewers' aggression, the influence of pornography on sexual offenders, the impact of suicide reports on various demographic groups, and the magnitude and mechanisms of "copycat" crime. Six chapters examine media effects on policy formation, implementation, and agenda setting. These chapters present articles and arguments that review the media's ability to influence the formation and implementation of criminal justice policy and the rank of various policies on the public agenda. The third section focuses on criminal justice system applications of media technology. These chapters extend the concept of policy to explore the extent to which the technology of mass media and access to a mass media system has been used by the criminal justice system in crime control and criminal justice administration. The final chapter reviews and summarizes the highlights of the research cited in the body of the book and recommends research and policy implications. Chapter references and tables.