week 2 - what is criminology? the media Flashcards
what is criminology?
the scientific study of crime
what is a crime?
violations against formal prohibitions that are codified in law and carry a specific penalty or sanction
deviance
behaviour that differs from accepted social norms, informal social punishment
crime vs. deviance
deviant behaviours can be criminalized (now classified as a crime), and is punishable by the criminal justice system.
deviance is just a social construct
shifting definitions of crime
- what is considered deviant or criminal changes over time and differs across societies
- criminalization doesn’t necessarily reflect the harm associated with a behaviour, ie harms caused by alcohol use compared to cannibis
mala in se
- act that is evil or bad in itself
- majority would agree that it is wrong, even if not prohibited
- most places will have laws prohibiting these behaviours
mala prohibita
- acts that are wrong simply because theyre prohibited
- less agreement over time and across societies as to whether theyre wrong or not
consensus perspective
- law represents the agreement of most people in society that certain acts should be prohibited
- reflects the values and beliefs of most people in society
conflict perspective
- laws do not reflect a consensus of society
- reflect the interests of the more powerful people in society to maintain their privileged position
- CJS used to enforce the laws
crim as an academic discipline
- systematic study of crime started in 19th century
- criminology itself as an academic discipline is more recent, like ubc (1950s)
- started as a subset of sociology, heavily influencing crim theorizing
- interdisciplinary
why do media representations matter?
- most info about crime comes from the media (any means of mass communication, like newspaper, radio, tv, film, social media)
- these sources can be incorrect (ie, US sources) or bias (distorted image of crimes, perpetrators, victims)
- influences public opinion, influences CJS policies and practices
moral panic
- when certain people/groups/behaviours/things become defined as a threat to societal values and interests
- gap between perceptions and facts
- constructed by the media, politicians, and moral entrepreneurs
-> a person, group or organization that takes the lead in identifying certain behaviour as deviant and in need of legal sanctions
characteristics of moral panics
- concern -> intense focus on the particular problem
- hostility -> toward the targeted person/group/behaviour
- consensus -> widespread agreement that the threat posed is serious
- disproportionality-> the concern is disproportionate to the actual seriousness of the threat
- volatility -> the problem quickly appears and disappearts without explanation
perspectives of moral panics
- grass roots
- elite engineered
- interest group
grassroots
begins with genuine public concern about a problem, then media and politicians become involved in response to this public concern
elite engineered
small, powerful groups deliberately set out the create moral panics to divert public attention away from truly serious social problems where the solutions might be harmful to the interests of the elite groups themselves
interest group
interest groups (media, politicians) act independently of one another and believe they are acting in the best interests of society
media portrayal of perpatrators
- media shapes our view of the perpetrator and the criminal event
- certain groups of people are often stereotyped in media representations
- problematic because consumers begin to perceive certain groups of people as more dangerous or as more likely to be criminal (especially when they have no info to counter this narrative)
media portrayal of crime victims
- “if it bleeds it leads”
- there is an idea of an ideal victim
ideal victim
- a person or category of individuals who, when hit by a crime, are most readily given the complete and legitimate status of being a victim
- ideal victims are considered more newsworthy (more attention to in the media)
characteristics of the ideal victim
- weak in some capacity
- legal routine activities
- blameless
- unassociated with the perpetrator
- subordinate to the perpetrator
- ability to assert victim status
portrayal of sympathetic homicide victims in the media
more sympathetic victim =
- more likely on the front page
- more likely to have a picture included
- longer the article
the more prominent news coverage of their homicide will be in the news
