NCJ Number
208617
Journal
Criminal Justice Studies Volume: 17 Issue: 4 Dated: December 2004 Pages: 385-404
Date Published
December 2004
Length
20 pages
Annotation
This article explores the link between a moral panic regarding the safety of America’s children and child safety legislation.
Abstract
Heightened media reporting of cases involving child abduction, child molestation, and child homicide have created the popular impression that the country is experiencing an epidemic of these types of crimes. Media broadcasts have created a nationwide moral panic regarding the safety of our children. The first part of the article describes the historical context of a moral panic and considers whether the current climate of fear qualifies as a moral panic, according to the criteria created by Goode and Ben-Yehuda (1994). According to Goode and Ben-Yehuda, there are five elements necessary to define a moral panic: concern, consensus, hostility, disproportionality, and volatility. After illustrating that a moral panic regarding child safety has indeed pervaded American society, the second part of the article focuses on the history and activation process of the Amber Alert system; comparisons are made to Meghan’s Law. The analysis concludes that the perceived threat to child safety has played an important role in the generation of legislation. Described as “panic legislation,” these laws are often knee-jerk reactions designed to quickly resolve the publicly perceived “emergency situation.” While laws such as Amber Alert and Meghan’s Law were theoretically reasonable attempts to create safety for children, the practical obstacles involved with both pieces of legislation may outweigh their efficacy. Table, figure, notes, references