Essay Example on Criminal Justice System: Media's Role in Informing Society

The criminal justice system serves the role of ensuring that a society obeys the laws, and everyone gets justice when they are offended. It is a tool that equalizes the people living within a given community. Society needs to be updated on criminal and justice issues taking place within their boundaries and beyond. The media plays a critical role in not only inform the people on what is taking place about different crime issues but also enlightens them on their rights and responsibility as citizens of a given country. It shapes the way people view and perceive the criminal justice system today. Several studies have been done regarding how the media interrelates with criminal justice, and findings indicate that it shapes the way people understand the system. Research suggests that sociologists, psychologists, criminologists, and media scholars, among others, have concerned themselves with the relationship between media and the criminal justice system by establishing the need for media and its effects in the order. The paper will, therefore, explore how the press interrelates with the criminal justice system by looking at how it affects policy to shaping public opinion.

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Over the years, the media has been known for its heavy coverage on crime, and it is what influences public opinion about deviant behavior and the path taken by the criminal justice system in resolving criminal issues. One thing that needs to be noted is that the media has painted an image that depicts widespread criminal problems in society with fewer victims getting justice. The media is also known for misrepresenting information, and as a result, the public gets a negative picture of the criminal justice system; for instance, it has continuously depicted violent crime as the norm in the society without mentioning the efforts made by the justice system in reducing crime. Because of the negative image painted by the media, the public develops a pessimistic attitude towards the criminal justice system and losing trust in them to the extent that any victim thinks of injustice and rot in the courts and other justice systems. The public is continuously having the image of a society full of crime such as rape, murder, robbery, among others.

A majority of people in American explain that they get critical information concerning crime from the media. Sarah Sun Beale (2006) states that "For example, in one national survey, 81% of respondents said that they based their view of how bad the crime problem is on what they have read or seen in the news, rather than on their personal experience". It is an indication that the media feeds the public about the crime state in the nation. Beale further explains that in an American bar association interview, respondent s had a healthy choice on media as either a significant essential source of criminal justice information. The author states, "41% of respondents identified television news, 37% identified primetime newsmagazines, and 36% identified local newspapers. Most people also trust the accuracy and fairness of the information received from these sources" (Beale 2006). It is an indication that both print and electronic media play a critical role in shaping public opinion about the criminal justice system.

In his article Kenneth Dowler explains that the public mostly obtains crime and justice information from the media. Dowler explains that the media plays a critical role in shaping the perception of what people think about crime and the justice systems in most societies. The author states, "The mass media play an important role in the construction of criminality and the criminal justice system. The public's perception of victims, criminals, deviants, and law enforcement officials is largely determined by their portrayal in the mass media".(Dowler 2003). In this regard, it is evident that through mass media, public opinion on the criminal justice system is shaped. Through the media matters about the criminal justice system have been sensationalized where crime is depicted as the norm, and this has instilled public fear. The fear inspired by media can bring two effects to the people in a given society. Firstly it can be helpful in the deterrence of crime, making the affected to be law-abiding citizens. When people fear evil, they tend to follow the law so that they do not fall victim of the consequences of breaking the law.

On the other hand, when the media instills fear among the people, they develop punitive justice attitudes. It is a typical case where people have a negative outlook on the police and views them not as helpers but people who are up to no good but only punishing the citizens. The public develops a view that police are up to victimization and issue that is majorly false. The author states, "Research also indicates that the people who consume media information most tend to think that crime rate is higher than what the actual statistics from scholars indicate. It is important to establish whether audience members have direct victim experience or share characteristics that make them crime vulnerable. Research indicates that media sources will be more meaningful when the direct experience is lacking. For example, media influence was strongest for females, whites, and the elderly, which are segments of the population least likely to be victimized" (Dowler 2003). It is, therefore, evident that the media influence the public into thinking that they are being targeted and victims by the police.

Similarly, the fear instilled by the media through sensationalizing of crime has led to the development of pressure to find solutions on criminal issues being experienced. Research indicates that through the media feeding the public with information on crime puts pressure on the policymakers to make better policies that help in the reduction of crime and emphasizing justice for all the people. Additionally, it enables systems on more punitive measures to be put in place for both correctional and deterrence purposes. When there is a public outcry on crime and justice issues as highlighted by the media, pressure develops, and policies are quickly implemented to ensure that the tension reduces and the citizens are assured of safety. Some of the measures that have been implemented are deploying more police, the establishment of more correctional facilities, and allocate a substantive amount of more to the criminal justice system.

The media has also portrayed the police as ruthless people who make the citizens go through suffering through victimization. It has highlighted issues that paint the criminal justice system negatively through police who regularly ensure law and order are exercised, and their efforts are mistaken for victimization and brutality. On the contrary, the police work harder to ensure that there are fewer complaints but also increased the safety of the citizens. It is, however, essential to note that in America, not all the people complain about the police because there are some who appreciate their efforts. Research indicates that when the media paints a negative image if the criminal justice system, the public loses trust and confidence in the law-making bodies and the leadership of the day. As a result, it affects the public choice of presidential candidates during election time.

Another critical concern through which the media has influenced criminal justice system is by highlighting the plight of race through both electronic and print mediums. Over the past years, people of color have been seen responding to interviews on police victimization and brutality, while the white Americans have confidence in the system. It is an indication that there is a gap relating to the race issue. When the media covers such content pressure on race concerns, pile up, and this can lead to a policy change regarding excessive use of force on a race basis. In this regard it not only affects the policy of exercising nondiscriminative measures on offenders but also shapes public opinion regarding fairness in the criminal justice system. It is because the African Americans lose confidence in a system that applies the laws discriminatively favoring one race over the other. The lack of trust and determination can lead to unrest in places where people are majorly affected by the biasness.

Although the media are sensationalizing concerns about the criminal justice system, it also plays a critical role in educating the public about their duties and responsibilities so that they are not caught on the wrong side of the law. When the public has the right information regarding what is expected of them, then they become better law keepers. The media also helps in exploring the areas of the law which human rights have been forsaken for instance American media has in several times highlighted the plight of women being sexually assaulted and this has led to stricter policies on the sexual offenders helping women to be safe at the workplace and other areas that they fell victims of such kind of criminal behavior.

Conclusion

In conclusion, it is important to note that the media closely interrelates with the criminal justice system because it highlights the different forms through which criminal activities are experience and how the justice system responds or fails in the performance of its duties. One of the most critical ways through which the media interrelates with the criminal justice system is through shaping public opinion. Society needs to be informed on criminal and justice concern taking place within their communities. The media, therefore, is the only way through which the public can be informed about the issues affecting it and the rot in the criminal justice system. Research indicates that media scholars have played an active role in establishing the relationship between media and the criminal justice system by creating how information flows and its effects in the system. When the media feeds the public with issues concerning crime, it gets enlighten of what is happening, and this piles pressure in the criminal justice system leading to change. Similarly, it shapes public opinion by making people develop fear or push for reforms on matters affecting them.

References

Beale, S. S. (2006). The news media's influence on criminal justice policy: how market-driven news promotes punitiveness. Wm. & Mary L. Rev., 48, 397.

Dowler, K. (2003). Media consumption and public attitudes toward crime and justice: The relationship between fear of crime, punitive approaches, and perceived police effectiveness. Journal of criminal justice and popular culture, 10(2), 109-126.

Jewkes, Y., & Linnemann, T. (2017). Media and Crime in the US. Sage Publications.

Werner, E. (2015). Media Effects on Attitudes Towards the Criminal Justice System.