"This book critically examines the media to identify how crime and criminal justice are treated in the news, entertainment, and infotainment media. The book sheds light on important realities of crime and criminal justice and corrects major misconceptions created by coverage of crime and criminal justice in the media."--

Media Coverage of Crime and Criminal Justice critically examines the media to identify how crime and criminal justice are treated in the news, entertainment, and infotainment media. The book sheds light on important realities of crime and criminal justice and corrects major misconceptions created by coverage of crime and criminal justice in the media. While there are other texts on the market focused on the impact of mass media on criminal justice, this text is the only one that starts with the issue of corporate ownership of the mass media as a problem for gaining an accurate understanding of the realities of crime and criminal justice. Unique among media books, the author presents basic information about the media in the introductory chapters and then applies this information to specific issues of crime and criminal justice in the rest of the book, thereby focusing on the same issues and themes throughout. The book addresses media coverage of law-making and crime, policing, courts, and corrections, as well as how the media both help and hinder effective crime control and crime prevention efforts. The author maintains a blog to allow readers to apply knowledge from the book to real-world media stories, and to interact with the author: mediacriminaljustice.blogspot.com PowerPoint slides are available to professors upon adoption of this book. Download sample slides from the full 159-slide presentation here. If you have adopted the book for a course, contact [email protected] to request the PowerPoint slides.

In today's society, the public perception of crime has been skewed by how the media depicts it. People use the media for enjoyment, companionship, surveillance, and interpretation. The problem is that it becomes hard to separate fact from entertainment. This raises several questions. How are we consuming media? Are we consuming reality within the news? And are we consuming harmless pleasure from entertainment media? In Crime, Media, and Reality: Examining Mixed Messages about Crime and Justice in Popular Media, Venessa Garcia and Samantha Garcia Arkerson focus predominantly on the social constructions of crime and justice and how we absorb them. They look at the influence of crime news and true crime television series that prevent the public from understanding pure entertainment from the realities of crime and justice. They bring to light the social science knowledge missed by media "infotainment," which has blurred the line between information and entertainment. Throughout, all different forms of media are discussed, news media, crime dramas and true crime television series. In doing so, they keep all of its fascinating coverage while uncovering the reality of crime and justice. This book adds significant information to the constructs held by the general public by placing media depictions into historical, legal, and social context.

Media, Crime, and Criminal Justice: A Reader provides readers with a variety of articles that showcase examples of cutting-edge research on crime and media. The text helps students better understand how crime and media are intertwined within culture and how this unique connection influences our behaviors, attitudes, and values. Unit One provides an overview of the major conceptual tools used by media and crime scholars. Dedicated readings explore the concept of globalization to contextualize the study of crime, copycat crime, moral panic, the debate surrounding the influence of violent media content on violent behavior, and more. Unit Two examines common crime narratives in the news media and popular culture. Students read about the over inflation of crime statistics, actors and institutions within the criminal justice system, and television news coverage of corporate crime. The final unit explores how political processes and media narratives combine to either deepen or hinder our democratic values. Dedicated readings speak to the political economy of media ownership, how mass media often reinforce criminal stereotypes about Black Americans, the rise in feminism in the horror genre, and more. Media, Crime, and Criminal Justice is ideal for courses in criminal justice, criminology, communications, cultural studies, and sociology.

This book critically examines the complex interactions between media and crime. Written with an engaging and authoritative voice, it guides you through all the key issues, ranging from news reporting of crime, media constructions of children and women, moral panics, and media and the police to ′reality′ crime shows, surveillance and social control. This third edition: Explores innovations in technology and forms of reporting, including citizen journalism. Examines the impact of new media including mobile, Internet and digital technologies, and social networking sites. Features chapters dedicated to the issues around cybercrime and crime film, along with new content on terrorism and the media. Shows you how to research media and crime. Includes discussion questions, further reading and a glossary. Now features a companion website, complete with links to journal articles, relevant websites and blogs. This is essential reading for your studies in criminology, media studies, cultural studies and sociology. The Key Approaches to Criminology series celebrates the removal of traditional barriers between disciplines and, specifically, reflects criminology’s interdisciplinary nature and focus. It brings together some of the leading scholars working at the intersections of criminology and related subjects. Each book in the series helps readers to make intellectual connections between criminology and other discourses, and to understand the importance of studying crime and criminal justice within the context of broader debates. The series is intended to have appeal across the entire range of undergraduate and postgraduate studies and beyond, comprising books which offer introductions to the fields as well as advancing ideas and knowledge in their subject areas.

A great deal of what is consumed and made integral to daily life through the mass media are stories of crime, law and justice. This study explores the ramifications of this, focusing on such topics as media formats, institutional relations, and popular drama and fear.