Mass Media and Its Link to Crime and the Criminal Justice System

Table of Contents

Introduction
Popular Criminology and Television Criminology
America’s Most Wanted
Impact of the TV Show and the Website
Applying Theory
Conclusion
References

Introduction

The interplay between media and crime is a fascinating phenomenon. Crime in itself is a complex social phenomenon but if one will combine crime and mass media, the resulting media-crime nexus will greatly influence the way people view crime and how they respond to it. The TV networks as well as the Internet work in conjunction to strengthen the interaction of crime and media. One of the best examples is the TV show America’s Most Wanted which also has a website that audiences can visit after the show to interact with the producer of the said TV program. Thus, in this particular study the official website America’s Most Wanted will be analyzed to get a better understanding as to why it is so successful commercially as a TV show and as tool to fight crime.

Popular Criminology and Television Criminology

It is common knowledge that crime fighting is not only the job of law enforcement agencies operating in this country but requires the help of the general public in the form of tips, eyewitness reports as well as other forms of assistance that will lead to the capture of convicted criminals. Yet the question remains with regards to the most effective means for encouraging the participation of ordinary citizens.

A TV show can be a good way to increase awareness when it comes to crime but just like a movie it is difficult to separate fact from fiction. Literature can also be another way of informing the public. But it has to discuss a specific issue for it to be an important crime fighting tool. There is a need to make it easily accessible as well as provide a reason why people would tune in or participate in the information dissemination activity. Using today’s modern technologies it would be impossible to talk about strategies and tools for crime prevention and law enforcement without mentioning the World Wide Web, particularly the use of websites to inform people about crime and the criminal justice system.

Still there is more that needs to be done to make the website where people will access to participate in the criminal justice system. For this paper the focus is on the official website of AMW and how it has complemented the TV show in increasing the overall effectiveness of AMW in creating a system that increases the probability of capturing criminals profiled in the TV show and then redundantly displayed in the said website.

In the case of the TV show America’s Most Wanted viewers have access not only to crime stories and information about some of the most wanted criminals in America but it also uses the Internet through its official website to increase their ability to communicate to millions of Americans on a weekly basis and through the Internet on a 24/7 basis as the shows tip line is just a mouse click away or a telephone call away. But the most important component of the AMW show and its website can be understood using the popular criminology theoretical framework.

Another theoretical framework that can be used to analyze AMW is called television criminology that was developed by Craig Haney. Haney was one of the first to show the link between television viewing and how the general population tends to support certain policies dealing with crime. Haney expounds by saying that mass media is influencing the way people view criminals. He added that there is an increasing pattern wherein mass media depicts criminals as out-of-control deviants that are already beyond reform (Haney, 2005). This in turn will make people feel more vindictive and in the case of AMW the audience are eager to help capture the criminal profiled in the show.

America’s Most Wanted

It would be impossible to understand the website without first having background information with regards to the Fox TV show where it came from as well as its host, John Walsh. Prior to his hosting America’s Most Wanted (AMW), Walsh was just an ordinary father who tried to provide for his family and worked hard to be a good example to his six-year old son. But in 1981 when his only child was abducted and murdered by a child predator his life was turned upside down. His determination to find justice led him and his wife to create an ad hoc organization that will help them search for their missing son the Adam Walsh Child Resource Center eventually merged with another organization he co-founded with his wife, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

It is just fitting for Walsh to host AMW, a crime-fighting show that provides profiles of some of the most dangerous criminals in the United States. These men and women are some of the most wanted fugitives such as child molesters, murderers, convicts who escaped from prison, and even international terrorists. Through the help of AMW the FBI, the U.S. Marshalls as well as various branches of America’s law enforcement were able to capture more than 1,000 high-profile fugitives in the past 20 years.

Impact of the TV Show and the Website

When one enters the Fugitive section of the site, a prominent banner can be seen in the right side of the site that says: “You have helped catch 1057 fugitives to date” (AMW, 2009). This is a very effective strategy especially if the goal is to encourage the general public to take part in crime prevention and law enforcement. Audiences as well as visitors to the site will feel a sense of value being considered as an integral part of this crime fighting program.

It is also very clear how this particular form of mass media was able to influence the public’s perception of crime. In the case of the AMW one of the most persistent messages was that the average person can participate in crime-fighting. Before this show became popular the common person had very little access or chance of participating in a manhunt for high profile criminals. With the advent of the AMW it is now possible for ordinary people to have knowledge that there is an ongoing hunt for a particular suspect or fugitive. This does not only heighten the awareness of the general public but adds fuel to their desire to capture someone who can potentially harm them or their family if permitted to living large and not behind bars.

Applying Theory

Using popular criminology as a way to pick apart AMW one can be easily impressed at how the TV producers at Fox Network was able to create a gripping reality TV show that can cast a spell on TV audiences. As mentioned earlier popular criminology uses techniques that can be found in crime novels wherein novelists infuses drama and creates an interesting narrative that will keep audiences glued to their seats. After the show is over they are already hooked and willing to participate in the manhunt.

A good example is the episode featuring a wealthy magician working in the Florida area. This particular episode did not simply present the murderer as an ordinary person but highlighted the fact that he is an extra-ordinary magician:

he has wealthy parents;
he uses expensive props;
he has a pet Siberian tiger; and
he is good-looking and a playboy.

All the elements needed for an exciting story are all there. The viewer is easily drawn into the story. Moreover, the audience will realize that this killer had everything going on for him and therefore there is no reason to murder a girl who refused to give him sexual favors.

The emotions of the audience are now affected by what they saw on TV. The magician lived a charmed life and because of his selfishness he deserved to be punished. The producer of the show increases the tension by showing that the killer got away and there is now a call for help from ordinary citizens. This empowers the audience. They are not only drawn to the crime drama but they are given the tools to add to the ending of the story. It is reality TV at its best. It is not only entertaining but it is highly interactive. The joy of the interaction is not merely the idea that one has taken part of the show but the fact that the audience can change history and help the country in profound ways by capturing one of America’s most wanted criminals.

Using the second theoretical framework mentioned earlier, television criminology is another helpful tool in understanding the impact as well as the success of AMW. Through this framework it can be argued that the show and its official website are supplying the idea that these criminals are highly dangerous and needed to be apprehended soon. This is made evident in one episode concerning a Mexican drug lord named Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman. The narrator said that “El Chapo” is an intelligent criminal mastermind as well as a vicious killer.

Guzman killed many people on his way to the top and he has also a very sharp mind making him extremely dangerous. He created a tunnel that connects Mexico to the U.S. mainland. Guzman and his team were able to smuggle tons of cocaine to the United States and they were able to do it right under the noses of drug enforcement officials. The audacity and brilliance of the strategy makes him a dangerous opponent and then the narrator said that he is an escaped convict and they believed that he is now in Los Angeles, California.

Due to the urgency and the level of danger communicated to the viewers it is easy to understand why they are more than willing to help. This helps explain why viewer participation in the form of tips and eyewitness accounts contributed greatly to the capture of those in the most wanted list. Combining the two theoretical frameworks the critic can now see how the different techniques used by the producer of the show created a way for audience to get hooked to the show and encourages them to participate. This is the reason why AMW is so successful.

The success of AMW can be explained by demographics or the socioeconomic status of the people watching the show. Based on the fact that there is a need to watch the show closely and to follow the pertinent facts of the case presented it can be argued that most of the people who are watching the show have a significant amount of free time in their hands. In an online TV community ShareTV.org members provide information regarding their viewing habits and ShareTV.org revealed that those who watch AMW also watched shows like:

World Series Poker;
World Poker Tour;
Work Out;
Without a Trace; and
Wire in the Blood (ShareTV. 2009).

From this piece of information one can surmise that many of those watching have time in their hands and it would not be a surprise to find out if many of them are stay-at-home moms, housewives, and men who love the thrill of the hunt. Without a Trace and Wire in the Blood (UK) focuses on crime and provides an inside look into the criminal justice system. Thus, many of the viewers have time to follow leads, to get more information about the case and then participate in hunting down criminals.

A good example is the capture of the Texas Seven – a group of inmates who escaped from a maximum security prison. They eluded capture by posing as missionaries and living in a Colorado RV Park. A resident of the park saw an episode of AMW featuring the Texas Seven and reviewing details in AMW’s website confirmed that the new arrivals were indeed the Texas Seven (Newcomb, 2004).

The only question that remains is one concerning the negative impact of these methods. This is a reality TV show and it is safe to assume that many of its viewers are men and women who love to participate in capturing the criminals and may react in two ways. Firstly, they will feel inadequate and remain as spectators. Secondly, they can overreact and believe that they can go out there and help capture these criminals. It is also possible that some will try to do a little investigation and others can be paranoid to look for criminals in every nook and cranny of neighborhood.

If most of the viewers had too much time in their hands then it is possible that a type of “vigilante” action is created (Newcomb, 2004). This could mean that civilians, especially those without the proper training will go out of their way to look for criminals. Instead of helping the government they can develop paranoia that every new person in their neighborhood can be a suspect. If the criminal featured in the show looks like the person who just rented the apartment next door then this can create unnecessary tension in the neighborhood. While the AMW show is proud to declare that there were more than 1,000 arrests made due to the help of viewers, they are silent on the negative impact of mistaken identity such as when someone mistakenly identified the new face in the community as one of America’s most wanted.

Conclusion

Mass media is one of the best tools that can be employed in crime prevention and law enforcement. The use of mass media will allow law enforcement agencies to disseminate crucial information that will not only inform and warn the public but also to encourage them to participate. In this way the general public will be made aware that there is an ongoing manhunt for a particular fugitive. Thus, a fugitive on the run will have a harder time blending in or disappear from the face of the earth.

The success of the AMW should not be limited with the discussion on the successful apprehension of America’s most wanted criminals but also the impact of the show on the victims, viewers, and the general public. Starting with the victims the shows success is like a soothing balm that would allow them to find closure. For instance the victims of a convicted rapist who managed to elude a nationwide manhunt will feel great about the capture through the efforts of the AMW.

Furthermore the show’s portrayal of criminals can greatly influence the way viewers perceive criminals. It was mentioned earlier that AMW portray criminals as vicious, daring, highly capable individuals and this can increase the interest of the viewers and persuade them to participate in the manhunt. In the case of the general public the portrayal of criminals as men and women without remorse will stoke the fire of rage and will make the general public angry with the criminals featured in AMW.

By allowing ordinary citizens to take part in the criminal justice system through shows like the AMW, there will an increase in the participation when it comes to a nation-wide manhunt. While employing millions of eyes to look for escaped felons is beneficial to the manhunt, it can also create unwanted results. One is fear and rage but the other one is the creation of a vigilante spirit among viewers and the general public. Those who have too much time on their hands and are very interested in the crime solving aspect of the criminal justice system may be encouraged to take the law into their own hands.

These findings are consistent with the two theoretical frameworks discussed earlier. For instance the findings that the AMW allows for easy access to the criminal justice system and encourage viewers to participate in solving a crime or in a manhunt are consistent with popular criminology. On the other hand, the findings that viewers are affected by the display of violence and the intentional depiction of criminals as cold-blooded killers as well as daring and highly competent individuals can strike fear into the hearts of viewers. This is consistent with television criminology making the general public fearful and paranoid.