NCJ Number
157539
Date Published
Unknown
Length
6 pages
Annotation
This speaker argued that, despite evidence that the murder rate and rates of other violent crimes have remained stable over the past few years, the media has worked to keep public concern and fear of crime at a high level.
Abstract
This dissonance between the facts and public attitudes is explained in part by the attention the media continues to focus on the crime problem. While early evening news broadcasts concentrate on what government institutions do, the late news shows, which have huge audiences across the country, often look for news from the police, with the result that they may focus almost exclusively on stories related to crime and violence in the inner cities. These stories also contribute to deteriorating race relations in the U.S. by stressing the growing crime rates among the black urban poor. In addition, the widespread feeling that no neighborhood is safe anymore can be attributed in part to public and media attention that focused on the kidnapping of Polly Klaas and the murders of five commuters on the Long Island Railroad. These two crime occurred in places that had previously been considered safe, and tapped in Americans' overall feelings of powerlessness. As a result of all these factors, the Senate has passed bills which include provisions for tougher law enforcement and sanctions, as well as greater efforts at community crime prevention.