6. Crime and The Media - Effects of The Media on Crime

Question 1

Is the media criminogenic? What does this question mean?

Answer 1

Does the media make crime worse and even produce some new means of committing crime

Question 2

Who came up with the possible criminogenic effects of the media?

Answer 2

Greer and Reiner

Question 3

4 possible criminogenic effects of the media according to G and R

Answer 3

Opportunity
Absence of controls
Means
Motives

Question 4

G and R: opportunity

Answer 4

Media encourages consumption. This makes more items available to steal

Question 5

G and R: absence of controls

Answer 5

External controls (E.g. threat of punishment) undermined as media sometimes portrays CJS as racist or incompetent, which decreases public cooperation with police and may increase crime.
Internal controls (E.g. feeling of guilt) undermined as media sometimes portrayed criminals as glamorous

Question 6

G and R: means

Answer 6

Individuals may learn techniques of committing crimes by the media

Question 7

G and R: motives

Answer 7

Media may stimulate desire for material goods, which can create sense of RD or produce anomie

Question 8

Evidence regarding media as a direct cause of crime: hypodermic-syringe model

Answer 8

Is behaviour directly caused by viewing media content?

Question 9

Evidence regarding media as a direct cause of crime: Bandura

Answer 9

Bandura’s SLT provides evidence for this but the methodology is lacking

Question 10

Evidence regarding media as a direct cause of crime: Jewkes

Answer 10

Jewkes stresses that the media are open to interpretation so it’s different for everyone

Question 11

4 positive effects of the media on crime

Answer 11

Encourages awareness of risks, allowing public to take precautions
Puts pressure on government/police to take action
Durkheim would say media helps to define moral boundaries
Deters crime by highlighting the punishments