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 selfcontrol
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.
CONSERVATIES
• Value order/stability,
respect for authority
• People get what they
deserve
• Crime caused by poor
choice (Free will)
LIBERALS
• Value equal
opportunities 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 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 opinion
Class 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…
80
70
75
64
60
50
40
26
30
16
20
10
9
8
0
Violent
Increase
Property
Stable
Decrease
What percent of homicide caused by
serial killers?
Column1
60
50
40
30
Column1
20
10
0
0-5%
6-10%
11-25%
26-50%
What percent of those found guilty
had a trial (not plea)?
Column1
45
40
35
30
25
Column1
20
15
10
5
0
0-10%
11-20%
21-30%
31-40%
Children poisoned by strangers with
Halloween candy in past 20 years?
Column1
45
40
35
30
25
Column1
20
15
10
5
0
none
0-100
100-500
500+
Children abducted by stranger in
typical year in U.S.
Series 1
35
30
25
20
Series 1
15
10
5
0
0-100
100-300
300-600
more than 600
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)
Class Survey, % Afraid of Victimization
by Gender
100
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
58%
Male
Female
14%
Male
Female
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