Crime has been on the decline over the past decade yet public perception now more than ever is that there an increase in crime. Those who are not involved with law or criminal justice rarely view statistical information about crime directly from the government on such websites as the uniform crime report. So the first question one must ask is where do people get the information that creates their opinion? Media and entertainment have become infatuated with crime in the last ten years and as a result public perception follows with it.
Terrorist attacks, serial killers, riots, and murders. Statistically they make up the lowest rates of criminal action in the United States, but are always the first story to hit the news. Not to say that these …show more content…
Crime dramas have topped the charts of most watched television shows for a long time. Crime dramas ranging everywhere from NCIS, Law & Order, to JAG, and CSI have resulted in a boom of misconception about the legal system. One major effect has often been referred to as the “CSI effect” in which jurors often come into the courtroom with a preconceived notion of the capabilities of forensic scientists resulting in a higher expectation of proof. When fingerprints, dna, and all other sorts of futuristic tools are not demonstrated in a case such as theft or burglary jurors have been shown to hesitate on a guilty verdict. The correlation between the standard of proof associated with the CSI effect and the general opinions of the public at large can be stated that there is a rising interest in criminal forensics and even the belief that crime is prevalent. When individuals are flooded with events from the news and entertainment shows about murders and other such crimes it is easy to see how peoples belief systems …show more content…
These crimes, along with homicide, are often the most portrayed in crime dramas and the news. However, few if any focus on the most common crime in America larceny. Exposure to these high profile crimes results in little thinking about the smaller cases which increases their perception that this type of crime is occurring more often. One of the theories that the book expresses as to the recent decline in crime is the possible aging out of the baby boomers which are stated as being, “mostly too old to continue active criminal lifestyles” (Criminology pg 13). Thus, the largest segment of the population is losing its ability to continue a harsh lifestyle or is already in prison resulting in a limited number of these individuals being
Terrorist attacks, serial killers, riots, and murders. Statistically they make up the lowest rates of criminal action in the United States, but are always the first story to hit the news. Not to say that these …show more content…
Crime dramas have topped the charts of most watched television shows for a long time. Crime dramas ranging everywhere from NCIS, Law & Order, to JAG, and CSI have resulted in a boom of misconception about the legal system. One major effect has often been referred to as the “CSI effect” in which jurors often come into the courtroom with a preconceived notion of the capabilities of forensic scientists resulting in a higher expectation of proof. When fingerprints, dna, and all other sorts of futuristic tools are not demonstrated in a case such as theft or burglary jurors have been shown to hesitate on a guilty verdict. The correlation between the standard of proof associated with the CSI effect and the general opinions of the public at large can be stated that there is a rising interest in criminal forensics and even the belief that crime is prevalent. When individuals are flooded with events from the news and entertainment shows about murders and other such crimes it is easy to see how peoples belief systems …show more content…
These crimes, along with homicide, are often the most portrayed in crime dramas and the news. However, few if any focus on the most common crime in America larceny. Exposure to these high profile crimes results in little thinking about the smaller cases which increases their perception that this type of crime is occurring more often. One of the theories that the book expresses as to the recent decline in crime is the possible aging out of the baby boomers which are stated as being, “mostly too old to continue active criminal lifestyles” (Criminology pg 13). Thus, the largest segment of the population is losing its ability to continue a harsh lifestyle or is already in prison resulting in a limited number of these individuals being