Criminology Unit 1.5
Explain the Impact of Media Representation on the Public Perception of Crime
Key Impacts to Examine
Moral panic
Changing public concerns and attitudes
Perception of crime trends
Stereotyping of criminals
Levels of response to crime and types of punishment
Changing priorities and emphasis
How the media report crime and criminals can have a major impact on :
How much crime people think there is
Whether they believe it’s getting worse
How much of a threat they believe it to be
This impact can have a ripple effect, as people can pressure the police, courts or government to act
on the perceived problem
Crime Control Policies: Crime control policies refer to the laws, regulations and other
governmental actions that are designed to reduce criminal acts. Because public safety is a key
responsibility of government, policy makers at the federal, state and local levels are involved in
formulating and implementing crime control policies.
Moral Panic: Moral panic refers to the fear spread among many people, that some evil threatens
the well-being of society. Moral panic is typically caused by the exaggeration of media
representation. A present example of moral panic is terrorism and Islamic extremism. Moral panic
concerning terrorism and Islam extremism may have established from the terrorist attac ks by an
Islamist terrorist group, on the Twin Towers. As a consequence of media representation , such as
the widespread of television news, awareness within social media etc. the attac ks ma y have been
the origin of prejudice against Islam. An example of a crime control polic y that had been passed
after the terrorist attack against the Twin Towers is the Patriot Act, which aims to deter and p unish
terrorist acts.
Changing Public Concerns & Attitudes: Public concern changes over time, often in response to
things like media reporting and moral panics. Recently crimes like knife crimes and terrorism have
received a lot of publicity and therefore there is a lot of public concern over this .
The benefits of buying summaries with Stuvia:
Guaranteed quality through customer reviews
Stuvia customers have reviewed more than 700,000 summaries. This how you know that you are buying the best documents.
Quick and easy check-out
You can quickly pay through credit card or Stuvia-credit for the summaries. There is no membership needed.
Focus on what matters
Your fellow students write the study notes themselves, which is why the documents are always reliable and up-to-date. This ensures you quickly get to the core!
Frequently asked questions
What do I get when I buy this document?
You get a PDF, available immediately after your purchase. The purchased document is accessible anytime, anywhere and indefinitely through your profile.
Satisfaction guarantee: how does it work?
Our satisfaction guarantee ensures that you always find a study document that suits you well. You fill out a form, and our customer service team takes care of the rest.
Who am I buying these notes from?
Stuvia is a marketplace, so you are not buying this document from us, but from seller anishatasmin. Stuvia facilitates payment to the seller.
Will I be stuck with a subscription?
No, you only buy these notes for $3.86. You're not tied to anything after your purchase.