Crime, Justice and the Media

Crime, Justice and the Media examines and analyses the relationship between the media and crime, criminals and the criminal justice system. The expanded and fully updated second edition considers how crime and criminals have been portrayed by the media through history, applying different theoretical perspectives to the way crime, criminals and justice is reported. It focuses on the media representation of a range of different areas of crime and criminal justice – including new media technology (such as social network sites), moral panics over specific crimes and criminals (such as youth crime, cybercrime, paedophilia), the media portrayal of victims of crime and criminals and the way the media represent criminal justice agencies (such as the police and prison service).

The book offers a clear, accessible and comprehensive analysis of theoretical thinking on the relationship between the media, crime and criminal justice and a detailed examination of how crime, criminals and others involved in the criminal justice process are portrayed by the media. Throughout the text question breaks encourage students to respond to the material presented , thereby developing a deeper understanding of the links between the media and criminality – both in terms of theoretical thinking and practical application.