Media, Public Perception, and Crime
Jeffrey Epstein, Casey Anthony, Bernie Madoff, Michael Peterson: the public remembers these names in infamy due to the attention paid them in the media more than for the actual crimes committed. In today’s zeitgeist, the media determine the crimes considered worthy of attention, and the public becomes the judge, jury, and executioner. White-collar and serious crimes such as homicide become the focus for two reasons; the heinous nature of the crime and or the shock of the suspected perpetrator being from a respected industry with a high education level. How do media attention and increasing public interest reposition how criminal justice is conducted and criminal policy is regulated?
The News Media’s Influence, a scholarly article in the William and Mary Law Review, suggests that criminal policy is being shaped by the media’s influence on public perception of crime. However, because the media does not mirror actual events but sensationalizes them for monetary gain, the author argues that the criminal justice system’s move towards punitive policies has done more harm than good. Violent crime rates in the United States have been falling consistently since 1990, though the atmosphere around crime today is much more fearful. In large part, the media’s focus on crime increases fears, though the actual crime rates don’t warrant it. In turn, there is no factual support for the policies…