Sociology 2266A/B Chapter Notes - Chapter 1: Homicide, Jury Trial, Real Crime
11 Jan 2016
School
Department
Course
Professor
Document Summary
Dramatic crimes get more attention because they make a better story. Most criminal acts are not very clever or romantic. The most publicized offenses are very distant from real life. The media are carried away by a horror-distortion sequence: this can create a moral panic and people become increasingly scared. No crime is more distorted in the public than murder- the most interesting or elaborate murders are covered. Major violent crimes outnumber the murder category 80 to 1. Murder has two central features: a gun too near and a hospital too far. The simplest thefts and burglaries are the most common offenses. Police, courts, and prisons are important after crimes have entered the public sphere, but they are not the key actors in crime production or prevention. Crime comes first, and the justice system sometimes finds out and acts upon it. This fallacy warns us against overrating the power of criminal justice agencies.
