Finish Overview of Criminology Crime and the Media

Empirical Evidence is the KEY

• Theories attempt to demonstrate cause-effect• Criteria for causation in social science using a

poverty crime example – Time ordering: poverty happens before crime– Correlation: poverty is related to crime– Relationship is not spurious: the two are not

related because of a third factor such as low self-control

Methods for generating evidence

• Experiment – Key is randomly assigned groups – Only factor that effects outcome is group

difference at start of experiment – Limit = artificial nature

Experimental Design

Methods for generating evidence II

• Non-experimental– Survey research• Cross sectional • Longitudinal

– Limit = how to rule out spuriousness– Upside = ask whatever you want

Ideology in Criminology

• Walter Miller– Ideology is the “permanent hidden agenda of Criminal

Justice”

• What is “Ideology?”• American Political Ideology– Liberal/Progressive Ideology– Conservative Ideology– Radical Ideology

Dominant Ideologies in U.S.

• Value order/stability, respect for authority

• People get what they deserve

• Crime caused by poor choice (Free will)

• Value equal opportunities and individual rights

• Success/failure depends on outside forces and where you start

• Crime is caused by outside influences

CONSERVATIES LIBERALS

Implications of Ideology for Crime and Justice

• Conservatives tend to fit with “Classical School”– “Neo-Classical” = deterrence, incapacitation

• James Q. Wilson’s “policy analysis”

• Liberal/Progressive fit with positive school– Favor decriminalizing some acts – “Root causes” of crime only fixed by social change– Rehabilitation may be possible

• Elliott Currie = ample evidence that government can address social ills and prevent crime

• Radical = Marxist/conflict theory

Ideology as “hidden agenda”

• Many policies and programs are driven more by ideology than empirical evidence– Intensive supervision probation (conservatives)– Restorative justice (liberals)

The “Martinson Report” (MR)

• The “Martinson Report” was review of studies on rehabilitation published in the early 1970s– Concluded that not much is working– Used by politicians as the reason for abandoning rehab

• Social Context of the 1960s– Hippies, Watergate, Attica, Viet Nam, Kent State…– Conservatives? SKY IS FALLING – Liberals? Cannot trust the government

• Reality = liberals and conservatives were both “ready” to pull the plug on rehabilitation

The Limits of Empirical Evidence

• Criminologists tend to be cautions with conclusions– All studies are flawed in some way

• Politicians and public tend to “over generalize” from a single study– This can lead to bad policy• RAND Felony Probation study• Domestic Violence Experiments

Good theory makes good policy…

• In a purely objective, scientific world, programs and policies would flow from empirically supported theories of crime

• Unfortunately, people often “shoot from hip”– Policy without Theory– The “panacea” problem: scared straight, intensive

probation, boot camps, warm and fuzzy circle…• Some hope in “evidence-based” movement– Multisystemic Therapy (MST)

• Targets for change = parental supervision, delinquent friends, reducing rewards for deviance…

Crime and the Media

Public opinionClass survey results

Criminology vs. Other Science

• How many “crime related” T.V. shows can you name off the top of your head?– Crime and the CJS on T.V. news or newspapers?– Crime and the CJS in movies and fiction books?– How does this compare to biology, psychology, or

physics?

Who Cares?

• People get information about most things from the internet, TV, newspaper, and movies

• BUT—with regard to crime, the question becomes, “How accurately does the media reflect crime, criminals, and the criminal justice system?” – “Back stage” behavior

Sources of Media Bias—or “Reasons for Skepticism”

• Newspapers/T.V./internet news– Crime in general captures audiences– Violent crime, especially stranger violence

• “If it bleeds it leads”

• Politicians– “Get tough” on crime = political payoff

• Entertainment– Need for “excitement” belies accurate portrayal of criminals and

criminal justice system• Think “COPS”

Types of Distortion

• Creation of “crime waves”• Attention to violent crime– What about “white collar crime?”

• Creating/Spreading Crime Myths– Halloween psychopaths– The Serial Killer Epidemic– Satanic Daycare

Class Survey: Over Past 20 Years, Crime Has…

Violent Property0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

64

75

916

26

8

Increase Stable Decrease

What percent of homicide caused by serial killers?

0-5% 6-10% 11-25% 26-50%0

10

20

30

40

50

60

Column1

Column1

What percent of those found guilty had a trial (not plea)?

0-10% 11-20% 21-30% 31-40%0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

Column1

Column1

Children poisoned by strangers with Halloween candy in past 20 years?

none 0-100 100-500 500+0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

Column1

Column1

Children abducted by stranger in typical year in U.S.

0-100 100-300 300-600 more than 6000

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

Series 1

Series 1

Media and Crime: Summary

• Tendency to distort reality:– Political rhetoric– If it bleeds it leads (other types of crime?)– Overemphasis on crime (crime waves)– An “effective” criminal justice system

• Why is any of this important– Dorthy and W.I. Thomas (1928), if people believe

it, it is “real in its consequences.”

Fear of Crime

• Why is “fear of crime” important?• How fearful are Americans?• Are some Americans more fearful than

others?– Structural Factors (size of town/city)– Individual Factors (age, race, gender)

Male Female0

102030405060708090

100

% Afraid

Class Survey, % Afraid of Victimization by Gender

Attitudes Towards Punishment

• When polling questions are broad/general, it appears that Americans are punitive and punishment oriented:– Do you support the death penalty for convicted murderers?

(75% yes)– In general, do you think the courts in this country deal too

harshly or not harshly enough with criminals? (80% not harsh enough). (Our Class = 50% not harsh enough)

– Consistency across race, class, other factors

• BUT: Adding complexity to the questions affects answers

More Complex Questions• Class Survey Responses – Do you support the Death Penalty? • 64%

– If given the option of “life without parole?“• 54%

– Survey of Ohio residents about 3 Strikes legislation• 90% of Ohio residents supported 3 Strikes in general• Only 17% choose life in prison as a punishment when

given specific cases

What about “Rehabilitation” or Prevention?

• Again, public attitudes are complex• Does the public want their pound of flesh?– YES, believe in retribution and deterrence

• Does the public also want rehabilitation?– YES, especially for drug/property offenses

• Is the public willing to use tax dollars for prevention? – YES