NCJ Number
95769
Date Published
1984
Length
16 pages
Annotation
The images of crime, criminals, and the criminal justice system portrayed by the media differ sharply from reality and may reflect the media's role in socializing individuals to dominant social values.
Abstract
Media images are conveyed in many formats, including news reporting, documentaries, features, and entertainment programming. The media provide highly selective information and are a misleading foundation for public attitudes. The media feature violent crimes, which actually constitute a small percentage of crimes. Media portraits of criminals bear almost no resemblance to official statistics. The typical criminal portrayed in the media, particularly television, is older, affluent, and white, compared to the image presented in offical statistics of young multi-racial, lower class males. The media also focus on law enforcement and the initial stages of the justice process, with little attention to court processing and correctional activities. The research has produced varying results regarding the impact of the images on public opinion, although both direct and indirect effects have been indicated. The broader influence may be the transmission of the dominant ideology. This concept should form the basis for future research. Forty references are listed.