Role of the Media in the Criminal Justice System
The media has always had a profound effect on how the public perceives and understands the criminal justice system. To a large extent, the media shapes the workings of the system. Aside from the massive interest that the general public has with crime and criminals, people want to know how those crimes are discovered and dealt with by the system (Marsh and Melville, 2009). The role of the media is without doubt important as it primarily acts as the lsquo;eyesrsquo; and lsquo;earsrsquo; of the public. It can be a powerful and constructive means that contributes to remedial action in the conduct of public business.
However, like all facets of society, there should be limits as the mediarsquo;s role cannot be equated to that of government. The media, therefore, serves to educate the public on the justice system. The media also plays a role in shaping public attitudes towards the criminal justice system as few events make bigger headlines for the TV news as say, a violent offender who has returned to the community (Clunies, 1995). At times, as is inevitably bound to happen, such reports create an adversarial relationship between the media and the criminal justice system.
Many first time jurors have confessed that television and newspapers were their main source of information about jury service. The actual experience is reported to be markedly different from the popular media depictions. According to Muncie amp; Wilson (2004), there has been little research on the extent to which the media influences the publicrsquo;s opinion about the police. The little research, however, seems to suggest that police officersrsquo; expectations of the force are molded on the earliest television programmes that featured police.
The show lsquo;Starsky and Hutchrsquo; portrayed being a policeman as a career full of excitement, glamour and car chases. Further, most police officers currently serving describe the lsquo;Billrsquo; as a programme that best illustrates the bureaucratic demands made on the police. Since media content is shaped by various economic and marketing parameters, news stories about crime are being adjusted to meet viewer demands. This continues to happen even during times when crime levels are exhibiting a downward trend. The media can skew the publicrsquo;s opinion and help shape debate on such issues as longer sentences, treating juveniles like adults etc.
On a more positive note, the media has helped focus attention on issues such as cases of innocent people who have wrongly been convicted, police brutality and public support for DNA testing to reduce chances of wrongful conviction. Generally, what we think we know affects the policies that we come up with. What we know, however, is not always accurate and history is littered with numerous examples. Myths develop because they offer identities i. e. good versus evil. They aid comprehension by creating order in a situation where people are bombarded with a lot of information.
They are further entrenched as they help to form common bonds and reinforce a sense of community. Ultimately, the media and the government are responsible for creating and perpetuating false perceptions. Social scientists are influenced by their perception of reality, ideology and values. According to Pollock (2008), individual perceptions almost always influence the research process. She goes on to assert that if the hypothesis construction and methodology are tainted by special interest groups or people with political agendas, emerging results from such research always warrants questions.
Recently, a common myth that has been perpetuated by the media concerned the looting and violence in New Orleans that followed Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Following the floods, the media reported widespread looting in New Orleans even going further to state that police were involved. Experts, however, argued that there was no hard evidence to suggest widespread looting whilst acknowledging a few isolated incidents. It was also widely reported that there were many rapes and murders that occurred at the Superdome where thousands sought refuge.
Later, news stories vindicated this by stating that stacked up bodies in the dome were cases of exaggeration and that there was only one known homicide case and another for attempted rape. Major components of the criminal justice system Law enforcement is one of the major components of the criminal justice system. It is comprised of the police who are not only involved in arresting homicide perpetrators but they respond to any violent situations that precede a deadly incident (Lattimore, 1999). The role of the police force over the years has changed from being reactive to proactive.
Numerous efforts have contributed to these positive changes but none has had more of an impact than the community oriented policing project. This has led people to realize that through their interventions, disorder in the community is reduced as a result of more offenders being apprehended. This change has expanded the role, responsibility and legal mandate of the police force. Police not only investigate crimes but they also deter them through patrol activities. Local police maintain law and order besides additional duties such as controlling traffic, crowds and settling minor disputes between citizens.
In the U. S. , we find both State and Federal law enforcers. State law enforcement is generally lsquo;statersquo; police and those designated to patrolling highways. Fire marshals are also part of the law enforcement machinery. Enactment of numerous legislation over the past three decades has expanded the size and scope of federal law enforcement. Agencies with police powers include the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and The Drug Enforcement Authority (DEA). Courts are another component of the criminal justice system.
Criminal cases get their
剩余内容已隐藏，支付完成后下载完整资料
英语译文共 13 页，剩余内容已隐藏，支付完成后下载完整资料
资料编号：[266822]，资料为PDF文档或Word文档，PDF文档可免费转换为Word
以上是毕业论文外文翻译，课题毕业论文、任务书、文献综述、开题报告、程序设计、图纸设计等资料可联系客服协助查找。
