Media Literacy  Media Construct our society (Normative reflexivity (“drug good” or “Drugs bad”)drug goodDrugs bad  Media contain ideological and value messages  Individuals construct their own meanings from media  The human brain processes moving images different than text  Media is most powerful when it operates on an emotional level

Criminal Justice: An Institution of Social Control There are a variety of responses to crime in the United States, from punishment to prevention. Media is about “Prevention” but not the way you initially think: 1. Functional deviance: society against “other” Means of profit (1. sell goods, 2. sell media) 2.

Criminal Justice: An Institution of Social Control Criminal justice is an institution of social control, as are: –The family –Schools –Organized religion –The media –The law

institution of social control An organization that persuades people, through subtle and not-so-subtle means, to abide by the dominant values of society.

Criminal justice differs because: –It is concerned only with behavior that is actually criminal. –It is society’s “last line of defense.” Criminal Justice: An Institution of Social Control

Crime in real terms Most police calls involve responding to complaints of disturbances: Domestic quarrels Neighbor squabbles Gang altercations Loud music

Pre-trial Stages About 90 percent of criminal defendants plead guilty to the charges against them, in an arrangement called plea bargaining.

plea bargaining The practice whereby a specific sentence is imposed if the accused pleads guilty to an agreed-upon charge or charges instead of going to trial.

Trial 10 percent of criminal cases go to trial. 5 percent of criminal cases are decided in a bench trial. bench trial A trial before a judge, without a jury.

Trial If the defendant is found guilty as charged The judge (and sometimes the jury) begins to consider a sentence. If the defendant is found not guilty The defendant is released.

Corrections Currently, five types of punishment are used in the United States and Canada: –Fines –Probation –Intermediate punishments (Community service) –Imprisonment –Death Percentage of trials that make up the types of courtroom dramas that we see on TV : 1 - 2%

The Police  The Police recognise the power of the media, and have at times utilised this power  “An enduring, if not ecstatically happy, marriage” between the police and the media (Sir Robert Mark, 1971)  The media is generally supportive of the police  Police corruption seen as “one bad apple”  The Police see themselves as the subject of criticism  “Without doubt the most abused, the most unfairly criticised ad the most silent minority in this country” Sir Robert Mark (1974)

Explanations for Media coverage  Structural constraints on media  Focus on court-based stories emphasises the success of the police  Police provide most information to the media  “News” is inherently event-dependent: little time is allowed for deeper analysis (trends, social causes etc.)  TV crews located behind police lines

Explanations for Media coverage  Journalists’ Professional Ideology (Chibnall) ImmediacyTitillation DramatisationConventionalism PersonalisationStructured Access SimplificationNovelty

Laissez-Faire Model  The media is driven by demand economics  Media focus on sensationalist, prurient, and moralistic stories reflects the desires of the general public  Ignores other influences (e.g. government)

Explanations for Media coverage Political Ideology  The press is predominantly conservative  The media aim to strike a ‘middle ground’ between mainstream political perspectives i.e. a relativistic stance  Hegemony: The media operates to provide consent and support for the State’s actions e.g. Stuart Hall et al. “Policing the Crisis”

Figure 1 Substance Appearance in Popular Movies and Songs Percentages reflect the number of movies (200 total) and songs (1,000 total) in which substances appeared, whether or not they were used.

Figure 2 Percentage of Movies and Songs Associating Illicit Drug Use With: Movies Popular Songs Wealth or luxury Sexual activity Crime or violence Anti-use statement Refusal to use Pro-use statement or advocacy of use No consequence to user Wealth or luxury Sexual activity Crime or violence Anti-use statement Refusal to use Pro-use statement or advocacy of use No consequence to user Based on the 33 movies and 156 songs that portrayed illicit drug use.

Figure 3 Percentage of Movies and Songs Associating Alcohol Use With: Based on the 183 movies and 149 songs that portrayed alcohol use. Movies Popular Songs Wealth or luxury Sexual activity Crime or violence Anti-use statement Refusal to use Pro-use statement or advocacy of use No consequence to user Wealth or luxury Sexual activity Crime or violence Anti-use statement Refusal to use Pro-use statement or advocacy of use No consequence to user

Figure 4 Percentage of Songs and 5-Minute Movie Segments with Substance Appearance In order to measure the concentration of substance appearances within movies, each movie was divided into 5- minute segments, and each segment examined separately for substances. The height of the columns above represents the percentage of all 5-minute movie segments (4,372) or songs (1,000) that contained a substance appearance. The 2% above therefore means that illicit drugs appeared one or more times in the 4,372 movie segments. The percentages refer to the intervals, not the number of appearances.

Figure 5 Substance Use in G or PG, PG-13, and R-Rated Movies Percentages based on 38 G or PG, 65 PG-13, and 97 R-rated movies.

Figure 6 Substance Use in Movies by Genre Percentages based on 60 Action Adventures, 69 Comedies, and 71 Dramas.

Figure 7 Substance Use by Age of Major Characters Percentages based on 79 major characters under 18 years, 473 characters between 18 and 39, and 196 characters 40 and older.

Figure 8 Types of Illicit Drugs, Tobacco, and Alcohol in Movies Marijuana Powder cocaine Hallucinogens Heroin or other opiates Miscellaneous other Cigarettes Cigars Pipes or chewing tobacco Beer Percentage of movies with illicit drugs that show: Percentage of movies with tobacco portrayals that show use of: Crack cocaine Percentage of movies with alcohol portrayals that show use of: Based on 43 movies in which illicit drugs appeared, 172 movies portraying tobacco use, and 183 movies portraying alcohol use. Percentages sum to more than 100% because multiple substances appeared in the same movie. Wine or champagne Hard liquor/ mixed drinks

Figure 9 Percentage of Songs with Substance References by Genre Based on 212 Rap songs, 211 Alternative Rock, 212 Hot-100, 211 Heavy Metal, and 212 Country-Western.

Figure 10 Types of Illicit Drugs and Alcohol in Songs Percentage of songs with illicit drug portrayals that refer to: Percentage of songs with alcohol portrayals that refer to: Based on 182 songs with illicit drug references and 166 songs with alcohol references. This includes songs in which substances were mentioned but not used. Marijuana Crack cocaine Powder cocaine Hallucinogens Heroin or other opiates Miscellaneous other (amphetamines, inhalants, etc.) Beer or malt liquor Wine or champagne Hard liquor or mixed drinks Generic terms--e.g., “booze”