Crime is among the top concerns of the American public. Public opinion polls consistently indicate that crime is one of the most pressing problems facing our country; politicians frequently rely on the public's fear of crime to help pass crime legislation; and community-level neighborhood watch groups are formed in response to concerns about crime and safety.

The public's concern and fear of crime is influenced by many different sources. It is interesting that most of the public does not have direct contact with serious crime. Instead, the public is exposed to crime and criminal justice processes from vicarious sources of information, such as the news media. Newspapers, television stations, and radios are among the most influential sources used by the public to develop opinions about crime and the criminal justice system. Moreover, the frequent presentation of crime in entertainment sources increases the importance of understanding the media images presented to the public. Although the images of crime and criminal justice are important, our understanding of the media as a social control institution is limited. This points to the fundamental question addressed in this course: What role does the mass media play in crime control?

We will address this question in three ways. First, we will examine how media organizations relate to other social control institutions. For example, we will consider how news organizations construct crime stories, and how the reliance on police and court sources for crime information affects the images presented about crime. Second, it will be important to understand the significance of the media images presented about crime, focusing on how these images help establish community boundaries. Third, we will examine how media images can directly affect how the public thinks about crime, politicians formulate policy, and criminal justice professionals dispense justice.

Thus course will help students understand the media's place in the social control structure of our communities, and will challenge students to think critically about the role of the media in society generally and criminal justice specifically. Moreover, students will be asked to consider several different points of view to answer the fundamental question of the course and evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of several arguments.