Prime-Time Murder: Presentation Of Murder
SOC 2760 – Soulliere
Prime-Time Murder: Presentation of Murder on
4/13/2011 10:14:00 PM
Popular Television Justice Programs
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Prime-time television has devoted at least one-third of its time to crime
Murder has tended to be the crime of focus on entertainment television
Media tend to depict the crimes that occur the least in American society, while neglecting the crimes that occur the most
Distorted presentations may contribute to inaccurate or false beliefs about crime among viewers
Criminality is viewed as the failure of an individual who is morally weak or mentally deficient
Social explanations are almost entirely absent from crime and police dramas; center around individual …show more content…
or a history of abuse, with alcohol/drugs often playing a crucial role
Criminologists tend to differentiate between expressive and instrumental motivations Expressive motives derive from emotional responses or psychological reactions such as anger, jealousy, resentment, frustration, fear, love or general dislike
Instrumental motives derive from desire to obtain some personal goal such as money or status enhancement
Murderers may also be motivated by some sort of mental illness or defect that essentially controls their responses to situations
People commit crimes because of something uniquely inside them – jealousy, biological deficiency, emotional instability, or desire to achieve personal goal
Motives are individualistic
Attempts at sociological explanations were made within the televisions shows, but were very unsophisticated and simply blamed society for the individual offenders actions OR they were obscure so that they were likely to go unnoticed by the average viewer ( without crime background)
Failed to touch upon important sociological explanations such as: o racial inequality o labor instability( potential sources of conflict and violence) o routine activities theory: crime depends on the …show more content…
• because of all this scholars said that legal punishment needed to be severe enough only to deter potential criminals from breaking the law
• Adolphe Quetelet – first criminologist ; analyzed crime in France, found rate higher for young adults and men and the poor
Downloaded for free at http://www.uofgexamnetwork.com
5
• Emile Durkheim – established sociological paradigm
•
deviance will always exist because social norms are never strong enough to prevent ALL rule breaking (even in a society of saints, rules
Prime-Time Murder: Presentation of Murder on
4/13/2011 10:14:00 PM
Popular Television Justice Programs
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Prime-time television has devoted at least one-third of its time to crime
Murder has tended to be the crime of focus on entertainment television
Media tend to depict the crimes that occur the least in American society, while neglecting the crimes that occur the most
Distorted presentations may contribute to inaccurate or false beliefs about crime among viewers
Criminality is viewed as the failure of an individual who is morally weak or mentally deficient
Social explanations are almost entirely absent from crime and police dramas; center around individual …show more content…
or a history of abuse, with alcohol/drugs often playing a crucial role
Criminologists tend to differentiate between expressive and instrumental motivations Expressive motives derive from emotional responses or psychological reactions such as anger, jealousy, resentment, frustration, fear, love or general dislike
Instrumental motives derive from desire to obtain some personal goal such as money or status enhancement
Murderers may also be motivated by some sort of mental illness or defect that essentially controls their responses to situations
People commit crimes because of something uniquely inside them – jealousy, biological deficiency, emotional instability, or desire to achieve personal goal
Motives are individualistic
Attempts at sociological explanations were made within the televisions shows, but were very unsophisticated and simply blamed society for the individual offenders actions OR they were obscure so that they were likely to go unnoticed by the average viewer ( without crime background)
Failed to touch upon important sociological explanations such as: o racial inequality o labor instability( potential sources of conflict and violence) o routine activities theory: crime depends on the …show more content…
• because of all this scholars said that legal punishment needed to be severe enough only to deter potential criminals from breaking the law
• Adolphe Quetelet – first criminologist ; analyzed crime in France, found rate higher for young adults and men and the poor
Downloaded for free at http://www.uofgexamnetwork.com
5
• Emile Durkheim – established sociological paradigm
•
deviance will always exist because social norms are never strong enough to prevent ALL rule breaking (even in a society of saints, rules