Media Influence on Criminal Justice and Community

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Table of Contents

Introduction
Crime Awareness
Crime Prevention Policies
Effectiveness of the Police
Effectiveness of Courts
Correctional Facilities
Conclusion
Works Cited

Introduction

Citizens in virtually all countries depend on the media to access information concerning a crime. Critics of the media believe that journalists often exaggerate the levels of crime. However, supporters of the media believe that journalists play an integral role in the fight against crime. This paper will discuss the effect of the media on the relationship between the criminal justice system and the community. It will focus on crime policies and awareness. The influence of the media on the community’s perception of the effectiveness of police, courts, and correctional facilities will also be discussed.

Crime Awareness

The media has a great influence on crime awareness at the community level (Fox, Sickel, and Steiger 9-15). In the last five decades, the number of journalists who specialize in crime issues increased significantly. High profile or extremely violent crime cases tend to be the priority of news reports. This has always created the impression that the level of crime is much higher than indicated in official statistics. Overemphasizing some types of crime negatively affects the relationship between law enforcement officers and the community by creating the perception that the former has failed to protect the public.

The media can also improve the relationship between the community and law enforcement officers by participating in crime prevention. Journalists may uncover overlooked crimes such as domestic violence (Kinlay 71-83). Moreover, they can provide vital information to the public concerning self-protection through reality shows, social media, and movies. This includes encouraging the community to report a crime (Fox, Sickel, and Steiger 25-30). By providing information concerning crime issues, the media can improve transparency and accountability in the criminal justice system. As a result, the level of crime is likely to reduce, thereby improving the relationship between the community and the criminal justice system.

Crime Prevention Policies

Media content is always determined by economic and marketing objectives that regularly supersede traditional journalistic procedures for determining newsworthiness. Newspapers, TV, and radio stations normally adjust stories or news about crime and violence to satisfy the perceived public demand and advertising objectives (Beale 397-476). The rationale of this strategy is that emphasizing crime stories is a cost-effective method that media companies use to attract public attention to increase their market share.

Market-driven news is capable of skewing public opinion concerning the effectiveness of the laws that have been enacted to prevent crime. It allows the media to use crime as an important criterion for evaluating political leaders. Exaggerated media reports increase public concern about crime and violence by making people believe that they are vulnerable to criminal activities (Kinlay 71-83). This has led to the adoption of punitive crime prevention policies. These include long sentences, death sentences, and treating juveniles as adults.

Punitive policies have a negative effect on the relationship between the community and courts. The community always resists actions such as a denial of bail and imprisoning juveniles for several years. Moreover, witnesses may refuse to testify in court in a bid to protect the accused from excessive punishment (Kinlay 71-83). The relationship between the community and the police is also likely to deteriorate. For instance, the police might obtain court orders to conduct indiscriminate search and seizure, which is likely to hurt the innocent.

Effectiveness of the Police

The media can influence the public to develop a positive or negative attitude towards the police. In movies, police effectiveness is often overdramatized and romanticized. Nearly all crimes in movies are resolved by the police or investigators. Moreover, criminals are always arrested and punished for their actions. This depicts law enforcement officers as heroes and professionals who are capable of eliminating crime.

The police and the media have a symbiotic relationship (Fox, Sickel, and Steiger 85). The media mainly depend on the police to access reliable information about the crime. Police officers, on the other hand, depend on the media to protect their image by overstating the number of resolved crimes. Positive media portrayal has enabled the police to pacify the public to accept increased surveillance and use of force during the investigation.

In countries where the media and the government have a poor relationship, journalists tend to portray the police as ineffective officers. This involves emphasizing malpractices, such as accepting bribes and harassment by the police (Beale 397-476). The media also ignores the efforts made to apprehend offenders to create the perception that law enforcement officers are ineffective. In this context, the media creates mistrust between the community and law enforcement officers. For instance, individuals are not likely to report a crime if they are expected to bribe the police to get assistance.

Effectiveness of Courts

Court proceedings usually take a long time to be concluded. TV and radio stations cannot afford to allocate adequate airtime to court proceedings since they have to fulfill their entertainment and advertising objectives. Journalists tend to summarize court conclusions without telling the public how judges reached their decision. This means that the community is not likely to believe that justice was done if they depend on media reports rather than the full court proceeding (Kinlay 71-83). For instance, people are likely to be dissatisfied if they hear that a murder suspect has been released.

However, the release might be fair if the court fails to find adequate evidence to punish the suspect. In this respect, reliance on media reports can significantly decrease the faith of the community in courts. Individuals are likely to withhold evidence, fail to report a crime, and resort to self-defense if they do not believe in courts. This lack of cooperation can significantly jeopardize the functions of courts and law enforcement officers.

Correctional Facilities

The community is likely to support correctional facilities if the media depicts them as effective institutions that discourage deviant behavior. Nevertheless, the media always focus on the oppression, poor hygiene, and violence in jails. The public believes that jails should not exist because the media depicts them as oppressive institutions (Fox, Sickel, and Steiger 104). This has led to a poor relationship between the community and correctional facilities. For instance, individuals often resist attempts made by the government to construct more prisons. Moreover, the community hardly supports prisons through monetary contributions.

Conclusion

The media plays a key role in informing the community about criminal activities. This role has enabled the media to influence the relationship between the community and the criminal justice system. The community is likely to cooperate with law enforcement officers if the media depicts them as effective professionals. Similarly, the community is likely to trust courts and correctional facilities if the media portrays them as institutions that ensure justice. Therefore, the media should focus on fair and transparent reporting to improve the relationship between the criminal justice system and the community.

Works Cited

Beale, Sara. “The News Media’s Influence on Criminal Justice Policy: How Market-Driven News Promotes Punitiveness.” Law Review 48.2 (2006): 397-476. Print.

Fox, Richard, Robert Sickel and Thomas Steiger. Criminal Justice in an Age of Media Frenzy, Sydney: Murdoch University Press, 2007. Print.

Kinlay, Alicia. “Televised Court Proceedings: The Relationship between the Media, Punitive Public Perceptions, and Populist Policy.” Flinders Journal of History and Politics 26.4 (2010): 71-83. Print.

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