Dominant Ideologies in U.S.
CONSERVATIES
LIBERALS
• Value order/stability,
• Value equal opportunities
respect for authority
• People get what they
deserve
• Crime caused by poor
choice (Free will)
and individual rights
• Success/failure depends
on outside forces and
where you start
• Crime is caused by
outside influences
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 perfect 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
What do Americans believe about Crime
and the Justice System?
Where and how do they develop these
beliefs?
What are the consequences of these
beliefs?
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 television,
newspapers
• 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 and T.V. 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
Types of Distortion
• Creation of “crime waves” and attention to violent
crime
• What is the “typical” crime?
• What about “white collar crime?”
• Portrayal of an Over-Effective Criminal Justice
System
• Creating/Spreading Crime Myths
• Halloween psychopaths
• The Serial Killer Epidemic
Crime Waves and Distorted Images
• Despite historic declines in criminal
behavior (especially violence), most people
thing crime is getting worse.
Class Survey: Violent Crime in U.S.
Class Survey: Property Crime in U.S.
The Media Criminal Justice System
• How effective are investigations?
• How effective is “profiling?”
• What is the typical criminal justice process?
2011-12 Class Survey
• Is “profiling” an effective way to catch serial killers?
• 73% yes
– Can you remember the DC “sniper” case?
– Behavioral Science Unit of FBI?
2013 Class: What percent of those found
guilty had a trial (not plea)?
What percent of those found guilty had a
trial (not plea)? ANSWER
2012 Class: Children poisoned with
Halloween candy in past 20 years?
2012 Class: Children poisoned with
Halloween candy in past 20 years?
2013 Class: How Important to Check
Halloween Candy?
Media and Crime: Summary
• Tendency to distort reality:
• Political rhetoric
• If it bleeds it leads (other types of crime?)
• Overemphasis on crime (crime waves)
• The “effective” criminal justice system
• Profiling, CSI, Police Detectives…
• Why is any of this important
• Dorthy and W.I. Thomas (1928), if people believe it, it is “real in its
consequences.”
Bowling for Columbine Clip
• Context = Mass School Shooting in
Columbine, CO High School
• Clip relates to the media, fear of crime, and
race