Prime-Time Crime: Presentations of Crime and Its Participants on Popular Television Justice Programs

Abstract

Television 's long fascination with crime makes a study of contempora y justice shows imperative. An analysis of three contempora yprime-timejustice shows (Law and Order, The Practice and NYPD Blue) was undertaken to discover the way in which crime and its particQants are presented by entertainment television. The findings revealed an overrepresentation of violent crime and distorted images of offenders and victims. These findings not only confirm research findings from previous studies ofprime-time crime shows, but suggest that contempora y justice shows have not become any more sophisticated in presenting accurate depictions of crime than their crime show predecessors. Clearly, such media distortions of crime and its participants have important implications for viewer knowledge and understanding, which are discussed.

When Women Kill

“…Entertainment television has recently become fascinated with violence and murder (Soulliere, 2003). Many new fictional and documentary shows have appeared in the past years.…”

“…As a result our ideas and views are shaped based on the limited information the society wishes to provide us with" (Soulliere, 2003, para.3). Additionally, there is some evidence that the crimes presented and the manner of their portrayal through television shows are frequently inaccurate and distorted, which can in return influence the society's view over those crimes and cause false beliefs as well as distorted views about the crimes, the offenders, as well as the victims (Soulliere, 2003).…”

Constructing crime and justice on film: meaning and message in cinema

“…Nonetheless, a large body of research has found some support for a general relationship between greater exposure to media presentations of crime and both a public fear of crime and an overestimation of the prevalence of crime (Barille, 1984;Bryant, Carveth, & Brown, 1981;Gilliam & Lynegar, 2000;Gross & Aday, 2003;Hawkins & Pingree, 1982;Shanahan & Morgan, 1999;Weaver & Wakshlag, 1986). Other streams of research indicate that the media plays a more active role in the construction of social phenomena in situations where alternative information sources are either less available or direct experience is lacking (Gunter, 1987;Soulliere, 2003;Surette, 2007). This is especially true for crime, since the average person most likely has little direct experience with crime or the criminal justice system (Surette, 2007).…”

“…Rafter, 2006) or television crime procedurals (Surette, 2007). Given research that indicates that the media plays an active role in the construction of social phenomena, particularly in situations where alternative information sources are either less available or non-existent (Soulliere, 2003;Surette 2007), there is a need to examine the portrayals of crime and justice in film.…”

The Role of Entertainment Media in Perceptions of Police Use of Force

“…The first is that the portrayal of crime and offending is similar across programs. In particular, content analyses of TV crime dramas consistently find that • • the crimes shown are violent, and typically murder (Brown, 2001;Cavender & Deutsch, 2007;Deutsch & Cavender, 2008;Eschholz, Mallard, & Flynn, 2004;Rhineberger-Dunn, Rader, & Williams, 2008;Soulliere, 2003); • • offenders tend to be White (Britto, Hughes, Saltzman, & Stroh, 2007;Eschholz et al, 2004;Rhineberger-Dunn et al, 2008) and middle or upper class (Brown, 2001;Eschholz et al, 2004;Reiner, 2006;Rhineberger-Dunn et al, 2008;Soulliere, 2003); • • the explanations for offending lean toward the personal (e.g., psychopathy, greed, revenge) rather than the sociological (e.g., poverty, gangs; Rhineberger-Dunn et al, 2008;Soulliere, 2003); and • • the criminal justice system is portrayed as highly efficacious with respect to solving crimes (Britto et al, 2007;Dominick, 1973;Eschholz et al, 2004).…”