Contemporary Issues In Crime - how might the media cause crime Flashcards
there are several ways the media may cause deviance, list them
imitation - proved deviant role models, copying someone else
arousal - viewing violent tor sexual behavior
desensitisation - repeated views on violence, people getting use to it
transmitting knowledge of criminal technique, tips and tricks
simulating desire for unaffordable goods, encouraging people to buy it
glamorising offending
Bandura
aimed to see whether aggressive behavior could be learned through observation.
studies 36 boys and 36 girls ages 3-5
some kids watched through the screen as the adult would behave a certain way towards the bobo doll, very aggressively. while another group of kids watched adults kindly play treat the bobo doll.
found that children in group one were very aggressive towards the bobo doll while the second group of kids were nice to the bobo doll.
this is copycat behavior. participants were more likely to imitate aggressive male models.
cards 1 & 2 AO3:
studies on the effects of the media often use lab experiments, which cannot measure long term affects.
The media, relative deprivation and crime
LRs Lea and Young argue the media increase relative deprivation among marginalised groups. in todays society, even the poorest have access to the media which only shows them materialistic goods.. this fuels a sense of relative deprivation.
can be linked the Merton - cultural goals and the means.
The Media creates more moral panics, leading to an increase in crime
the media exaggerate the amount the risk of certain groups becoming victims e.g. women and old people.
Schleigner and Tumbler - heavy users of TV are at greater fear.
media creating moral panics AO3:
an alternative view is that those who are afraid to stay in more and consume media as a result, undermining the idea of a casual link.
what is the role of media in creating moral panic?
think of the deviance amplification spiral:
deviant act - mods & rockers,
crime
operation of news values - CJS defines this as a crime,
crime as news - media exaggerate, predict more to happen,
deviancy amplification - concern grows,
moral panic,
public definition of crime - calls for crackdown on irresponsible youths,
cycle starts at deviant act all over again
moral panics continued
Stan Cohen - studied mods & rockers, two groups of 1960s youths demonstrates the process whereby the media can create a moral panic.
The media’s over reaction involved three elements:
exaggeration and distortion,
prediction,
symbolisation
moral panics AO3:
cohen fails to explain why the media are able to amplify some problems but not others, nor why they come to an end.
functionalists say moral panics are a way of responding to anomie created by social change.
new-marxists say moral panics serves capitalism e.g. hall et al’s study on black muggers
new communication technology increases the opportunities for more C&D in society global cybercrime
Thomas and Loader define cybercrime as computer mediated (accessed) activities that are either illegal or considered elicit (deviant) and are conducts through networks.
Jewkes - notes the internet creates opportunities to commit both conventional crime and ‘new crime using tools’.
wall identifies 4 categories of cyber-crime:
cyber-trespass e.g. hacking, spreading viruses,
cyber-deception e.g. identity theft, illegally downloading files, scamming
cyber-pornography
cyber-violence e.g. text bullying, using internet medium to attack someone
global cybercrime AO3:
policing cybercrime is difficult because of the sheer scale of the internet (its huge) and because its globalised nature poses problems of jurisdiction.
surveillance - ICT provides police with greater opportunities for surveillance and control e.g. through CCTV, digital fingerprinting.
