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…
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
• 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
2011-12 Class Survey: Crime Trends
• How many murders occur in the U.S. in any given year?
• Mean (average) = 44,472
• Actual = 13,500
• Is “profiling” an effective way to catch serial killers? 73%
yes
– Can you remember the DC “sniper” case?
– Behavioral Science Unit of FBI?
2012 Class Survey: Percent agree for
crime trends
Chart Title
70
60
50
40
Increase
Stable
Decrease
30
20
10
0
Violent
Property
Class Survey: Percent agree for crime
trends
70
60
63
56
50
40
31
30
22
20
16
13
10
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 homicide caused by
serial killers?
Column1
60
50
40
0-5%
6-10%
11-25%
26-50%
30
20
10
0
0-5%
6-10%
11-25%
26-50%
What percent of those found guilty had a
trial (not plea)?
Column1
50
45
40
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
Column1
0-10%
11-20%
21-30%
31-40%
What percent of those found guilty had a
trial (not plea)?
Column1
50
45
40
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
0-10%
11-20%
21-30%
31-40%
0-10%
11-20%
21-30%
31-40%
Children poisoned with Halloween candy
in past 20 years?
Series 1
50
45
40
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
Series 1
none
0-100
100-500
500+
Children poisoned with Halloween candy
in past 20 years?
Series 1
50
45
40
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
none
0-100
100-500
500+
none
0-100
100-500
500+
Children abducted by stranger in typical
year in U.S.
Children abducted by stranger in typical
year in U.S.
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
• 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.”
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, crime rates)
• Individual Factors (age, race, gender)
2011 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).
• Consistency across race, class, other factors
• BUT: Adding complexity to the questions affects
answers
More Complex Questions
• 2011 Class Survey Responses
• Do you support the Death Penalty?
• 64%
• If given the option of “life without parole?“
• 54%
• Applegate, Cullen, Turner and Sundt (1996)
• 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
Feature Presentation (If Time)
Things to Watch for:
Ideology (not my primary reason for showing)
1.
–
2.
3.
4.
BUT, very ideological movie
Role of media
Fear of crime
Race