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California State University, Dominguez Hills
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Created: July 27, 2003
Latest Update: Arpil 4, 2007
jeannecurran@habermas.org
takata@uwp.edu

CRMJ/SOCA 385 Media, Crime, Criminal Justice

You will be held accountable for the readings and discussion questions listed here. There will be no "testing." That means that you will not have to live in anxious anticipation of what we will ask and how much you will have to know. Instead, we will provide weekly discussion questions, lectures, essays, and concepts we feel that you should know as a result of having taken this course. You will assure us of that learning and receive your grade for the questions and concepts about which you choose to write and talk with us. In addition you will find detailed explanations and examples on our grading policies in the first week's reading.

* * * * *

Week 13: Week of April 8, 2007

Topic: The Media and Crime Control

Preparatory Readings:



• Rafter. Shots in the Mirror. Chapter 7 .
• Surette. Media, Crime and Criminal Justice . Chapter 7.
• Potter and Kappeler. Constructing Crime . entirety.
• Movie Clip: "Reefer Madness" (to be shown in class).
  
  

Lecture related links:



• Ray Surette's website
• W.I. Thomas "Definition of the Situation
• Metaphor and Theory. The Blind Men and the Elephant fable.
• Join the Yahoo Discussion Group with CSUDH students
  
  




Concepts to be covered:



• the different types of crime film narratives
• the different types of crime film heroes
• prosocial television
• public service announcements (PSAs)
• anticrime efforts
• offender deterrence programs
• victimization reduction programs



Discussion Questions:

Note: Be sure to incorporate the movie clip, "Reefer Madness" in your answers.


1. Briefly describe each different type of crime film narrative. Today, which type of crime film narrative is the most popular? Why. Provide an example to better illustrate your point. In Rafter's discussion of the types of crime film heroes, which is the most prevalent today? Why. Provide an example to better illustrate your point.

2. Do you think the media are more effective at influencing offenders or victims of crime? [Surette, 1998, p. 193]

3. Why has media technology been so readily embraced as a solution for various criminal justice tasks? [Surette, p. 197]

4. Where and when are surveillance cameras acceptable? Does it matter if they are hidden or openly viewed? Does it matter who is watching? Do people have the right to be informed that they are within the view of a surveillance system? [Surette, p. 197]

5. Are the media more effective as a cure for crime or more damaging as a cause of crime? Why. [Surette, 1998, p. 193]



Dates and Deadlines




Friday, April 20th - The Final Absolute Deadline.

the week of April 22nd - Second Meetings

Friday, May 4th - The Last Day of Class.




Suggested Creative Measures:




Note: Your creative measure/visual presentation: 1) must relate to "media, crime, and the criminal justice system." 2) must be approved via email BEFORE starting. 3) cannot be something that you are doing or have done for another course. 4) research cannot be 100% online (i.e., google, askjeeves). Must conduct a review of the scholarly literature in the library, (not the popular press -- Time Magazine, Newsweek, Sports Illustrated). Go beyond the required readings in this course. YOU MUST CITE YOUR SOURCES that backup your visual presentations. No term papers! 5) Allow time to dialogue and present your creative measure in class (preferably before the deadline).



• Some reference sources that you might find helpful:

  Evaluating Authority
  Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. An excellent resource for juvenile justice related issues.
  National Criminal Justice Resource Service. Administered by the Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice.
  
  

• Make an "explosion box/card" that focuses on this week's topic, "The Media and Crime Control."
• Watch the film, Enemy of the State and discuss the concerns of living in a high-surveillance society. [Surette, p.197]
• Trace a recent example of a media-based anticrime effort. How successful was this effort? Why.
• Research CrimeStoppers International and other comparable programs. How successful are such programs? Why.
• Explore what media technologies your local criminal justice system is using.
• View and critique the film, Reefer Madness. How does this film relate to "media as a cure for crime"? Why



Recommended Readings:



• Ray Surette. Justice and the Media.
• Ray Surette. The Media and Criminal Justice Policy.
• G.O'Keefe. Taking the Bite Out of Crime: The Impact of a Mass Media Crime Prevention Campaign
• D. Rosenbaum. Crime Stoppers: A National Evaluation of Program Operations and Effects.
  
  
• Gaye Tuchman. Making News: A Study in the Construction of Reality.
• Bernard Goldberg. Arrogance: Rescuing America from the Media Elite.
• Bernard Goldberg. Bias: A CBS Insider Exposes How the Media Distorts the News.
• Steven Levy. The Perfect Thing: How the iPod Shuffles Commerce, Culture and Coolness.
• Lawrence Lessig. Free Culture: How Big Media Uses Technology and the Law to Lock Down Culture and Control Creativity. Lawrence Lessig, a law professor at Stanford University, has made his book free online.
• Internet Movie Database