...1. Is the nature of crime in our society accurately presented by the media? Discuss. Like every society, Australia has always had its share of criminal activity, from the founding of our country as a penal colony in the 18th century, bushrangers in the 19th century, underworld violence in the 20th century to recent youth violence on our city streets in the 21st century. In this essay, I will be discussing how the media presents crime in Australian society and how this does not necessarily reflect crime statistics. The media presents us with the idea that the majority of crime in Australia is violent, and it is only getting worse. In contrast, statistics show that Australia’s crime rate has remained relatively steady. In fact, most reported crimes are actually non violent, with the majority of crimes actually being property related. It should also be noted that we are exposed to high levels of media coverage on specific types of crime, for example the “Missing White Woman Syndrome” whilst under reporting on similar occurrences that involve males, and females of different culture and social standings. Lastly, I would like to discuss recent television programs such as Underbelly and true crime films that glamorise the criminal sub-culture which in itself causes the media to report even more on Australia’s underworld, violent crimes and infamous criminal cases. The media portrays our crime rate as rapidly escalating, however statistics collected by the Australian Institute...
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...in Australia. At a time when people seem to be more worried by crime, the research evidence suggests crime rates are not increasing. How can we explain this apparent contradiction? Word count: 2089 The threat of crime victimisation is ever-present in our daily lives. Despite the best laid defences, each one of us are likely to become a victim of crime at some point in our life time. Such direct experiences with crime can leave devastating effects, on the victims and their loved ones, for years to come. However, the chance of becoming a victim of crime is actually very slim. Media programming and reports are an indirect form of exposure to crime and the impact crime has on its victims. The likelihood of being exposed to crime through the media is far greater than chances of victimisation. In this technology-based age, it's almost impossible to avoid crime in the media. On countless occasions, the Australian public have shown a rising perception rate of crime and have a particular fear of burglary, motor vehicle theft and robbery. However, this widely-held view is in stark contrast to actual rates of crime over the same period of time. The public's fear and perception of rising crime within Australia is strongly influenced by the media through a selective process of over-emphasising violence and crime in news reporting and television programs, portrayed without context or consequence. Recent Australian studies suggest the general public continues to perceive crime rates...
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...Topics Is the nature of crime in our society accurately presented in the media? Is the majority of crime in our society violent in nature? Topic 1: Is the nature of crime in our society accurately presented in the media? Word Count: 774 Over the course of the 20th century and the transition into the 21st century, media has played a pinnacle point in society. It has developed from not only a means of information but also as a source of entertainment and consequently the line between information and entertainment can be distorted. This paper aims to conclude whether or not the nature of crime in society is accurately portrayed in media. As a result, this paper will include information that demonstrates the differences between crime in society and crime in media. Furthermore, the nature in which media crime framed will be examined. Finally, this paper will demonstrate how media crime distorts public perception in relation to how crime is in reality. It is through an examination of these points that a conclusion will be met, one that projects the crime in media as a false representation of crime in society. A criminal justice system plays a key role in the functioning of modern societies around world and despite this most people only have the portrayal of media sources to give context to the idea. According to Shrum, the only exposure to a criminal justice system that people perceive is through the media (Tapscott, 2011). Corroboratively, research conducted by the Australian...
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...have different rates of violent crime. Why, in your opinion, is the violent crime rate higher in the U.S. than it is in Canada? "Criminologists calculate crime rates (or rates of incarceration, conviction, or recidivism) by dividing the amount of crime by the population size and multiplying by 100, 000. This produces the standard rate per 100,000; occasionally it is useful to calculate a rate per million or some other figure when looking at less frequently occurring offences" (Linden, pg.91). Crime rate is determined ultimately by population, and the question is why is the violent crime rate higher in the U.S. than it is in Canada, is simply because they have a higher population. According to Countryeconomy.com...
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...The main purpose of all gun bans is to reduce violent crimes. Violent crime is defined by the law as behaviors by persons against persons, or property that intentionally threatens, attempts or actually inflicts physical harm. The most common violent crimes are aggravated assault, arson, assault and battery, domestic violence, hate crimes, homicide, manslaughter, mayhem, murder, terrorism, and theft/larceny. Many states have created gun bans to try to reduce these violent crimes. Through statistics, reports, and studies, it has been confirmed that gun bans do not work. They are a flawed statute. It is a falsity to think that gun bans make a society more secure, which is what they were created to do. This can be proven by looking at cases,...
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...& Homel 2008). The rates of physical and verbal abuse by a person affected by alcohol were more than twice the rate for other drug types. In addition, more than one-third of victims (38%) had consumed alcohol themselves at the time of the incident. This is consistent with evidence that shows that a significant proportion of violent offences are committed by and committed against people who have been drinking or are intoxicated (Plant, Plant & Thornton 2002). But in recent years evidence shows that the public and police have been taking alcohol-fuelled violence seriously, this is evident via strategies and new laws that are being created. The Police in Australia devote a significant amount of resources to responding to incidents involving people who are intoxicated. Recent research estimated that around 10 percent of police time was dedicated to dealing with alcohol-related incidents, of which the most common was responding to assaults (Donnelly et al 2007). Dealing with each assault takes an average of more than two hours and as such, places a significant burden on police resources (Donnelly et al 2007). The total cost to policing across Australia from crime attributable to alcohol is around $747m annually. In 2007, NT police and partner agencies began a process to develop a multi-agency response to antisocial behaviour in each of the major regions of the...
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...Tougher gun control will not decrease the US violent crime rate It is true that guns have caused many deaths and a lot of criminal violence in the United States, tougher gun control will not decrease the US violent crime rate, but getting a real solution to crimes caused by guns will be very expensive and hard to do. So the government decides to win future votes by creating more gun control. There is no country in the world that can say that after passing stricter firearms laws that it helped reduce crime. The National Rifle Association claims guns do not kill only the people kill, but the people who want guns controlled do not believe if you carry a gun that reduces the chance of a crime being committed against you. If you think about it the NRA might be correct in this assessment. You see it is not the gun that is doing the killing, it is not the knife that kills,or the the car that kills,or a pair of scissors that kills, or a bomb that kills, what is doing the killing in the human being who is in control of these items. People are what are controlling all of these items some will say. If we do not have control over our own body than we will not have control over any kind of weapon that we have access to. I decided to write on this topic before this week events that happened. You expect to wake up to another shooting in the news but one day this week it was different. We awake to fourteen people stabbed on college campus in Houston. ...
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...Perception of crime in Australia Name: deejay dial University: egerton Tutor: dr.magana Course: criminology Date: 03-06-2013 Introduction Crime is defined as an act of breaking or violation of the law .a crime is punishable by the government through imprisonment or paying bail, crimes range from petty crimes such as pick pocketing to capital crime such as murder or robbery with violence Policy making in Australia is affected by many factors including public perception .policies in criminal justice are used to determine the kind of punishment that is to be given to offenders, its also used to classify the degree and severity of crimes and also allocating the required resource to the criminal justice agencies. Using public perception to make policy can lead to bad policy formulation this is because there is a huge discrepancy that exists between the actual crimes committed and what the public holds as the rate of crime in their country. This is true in Australia where people perceive that crime is on the increase while in the actual sense its declining (Rex & Tonry 2002; Roberts & Indermaur 2009), the same pattern was also reported in the united states during the last decade (Maguire & Pastore 1999). In Australia the elderly, women and illiterate people believe that crime rate is increasing compared to men and the literate who believe otherwise (Indermaur & Roberts 2005) In 2007 according to Australian bureau of statistics (2008) murders reported...
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...Youth Violence in Australia Introduction In recent years youth violence has become a growing concern. Not only has incidence increased but also more worryingly the severity of attacks by young Australians has worsened, leading to major economical and personal losses to society. In 2009 on the streets of Coolangatta Damien Ford (aged 18) viciously assaulted 18-year-old Sam Ford (no relation) in an unprovoked attack. Sam spent 18th months in hospital and suffered severe brain injuries leaving him disabled and requiring full time care for the rest of his life. In Adelaide in 2008 Sam Davis (aged 17) was attempting to break up a fight at a party when he was king hit in the back of the head by a gate crasher (aged 18). Sam fell to the floor unconscious and died in hospital a few hours later. In Sydney 2012, Thomas Kelly (aged 18) was walking through Kings Cross on a night out when he was king hit for no reason by Kieran Loveridge (aged 18). The punch to the face knocked Kelly to the ground unconscious and he died 2 days later in hospital. This report seeks to understand why youth violence is so prevalent in Australia and review how it can be prevented. Youth Violence In Australia Youth violence is classified as the intentional use of physical force or power by a young person between the ages of 10 and 24, against another person, group, or community, with the behaviour likely to cause physical or psychological harm (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2015). According...
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...they are wrong, statistics shows that gun control does not reduce the rate of crime. However, gun control violates the principles on which the United States was initiated. Guns are not the only reason for the wave of ferocious crime that is thrashing America. In fact, crimes committed with guns are few rather more crimes are committed with knives or other objects. To control crimes, the government needs to punish criminals also criminals need to stay imprison for their full sentence. Many Americans use firearms as a scapegoat rather than taking the responsibility of correcting societal problems. They push for more gun-control laws but the experience shows that this...
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...Understanding Crime Trends in Dhaka city Literature Review In this modern technological sphere of human civilization ‘crime’ does not have any certain or universal definition. Though some the sociologists and criminologists have given some definition. In short, the deviation of law considered as crime. While every crime violets the law, not every violation of the law can traced as crime. In the modern forms of crimes, mostly evolve centralizing the urbanization process. The rapid urbanization process and crime conduction has some intimate relationships. Since urbanization process heavily influence the socioeconomic condition of the third world country, so there could be the possibility of having different trends of crime. Rapid urban settlement is the feature of contemporary urbanization process in Bangladesh. Dhaka city turned into the center hub of all possible crime and criminal activity. So, how urbanization process could be integrated to understanding crime trends in Dhaka city, as well as overall crime scenario of Bangladesh, we will be looking for it. The study will cover major trends of crimes in the past years, for coming days. Simultaneously how crime trends could possibly be changed, with the socio-economic variables related to crime in urban areas. The following literature reviews attempt to demonstrate and support the objectives of the study. In a research article by J. Walker, et al. (1990) was emphasized on the sectors and trends though. Australian rates of crime are in...
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...in Australia. At a time when people seem to be more worried by crime, the research evidence suggests crime rates are not increasing. How can we explain this apparent contradiction? Word Count: 1973 We have a strange situation in Australia. At a time when people seem to be more worried by crime, the research evidence suggests crime rates are not increasing. How can we explain this apparent contradiction? Current crime rates in Australia do not reflect the public’s perception, as criminal activity is steadily decreasing year after year. However, the public’s view is that crime is on the rise. Due to this unwavering perception of increased crime rates, some people have developed a fear of becoming a victim and apprehensive of crime and all of its components. Influences that can create or enhance these emotions can be born from a number of areas for each individual. Some of these can be due to personal experiences, the media, as well as a person’s geographical location. All of these factors can impact a person’s viewpoint of crime. This essay will examine the perception and how this fear has come to be, despite statistics proving that crime is in fact not increasing. The definition of ‘perception’ as per the Oxford dictionary is “the ability to see, hear, or become aware of something through the senses” - essentially what people see and hear will mould their opinions and emotions as to what is happening in the world around them. If a person has a fear of crime as...
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...Name Course Tutor Date Drug, Alcohol, and Crime Introduction Alcohol refers to an intoxication ingredient that’s found in wine, beer, and liquor while a drug relates to any substance apart from food that if smoked, inhaled, injected, consumed or is dissolved under the tongue it results in a physiological change of the body. The combination of the two might lead in a crime which is can be denoted as unlawful practices that are punishable by the law. Alcohol and drugs contribute much to the high rate of the offence in most societies though considering other risk factors such as child exposure to violence and mental or biological health. The risk factors aside research have examined alcohol and drug abuse to be the major contributor to crime. The relationship of narcotics to crime is quite complex and yet controversial; the puzzling question is whether people who use drugs are already crime oriented or is there a direct connection between drugs and alcohol consumption to criminal activities. Taking a case study of the Australian community it has been documented that the estimated cost of alcohol and drug-related crime range from $1.96 billion to over $4 billion. The statistics are quite the same to every as alcohol and drugs prove to be the biggest ingredient to spark up the crime. Through observational study, it has been identified that illegal drug users who engage in intensive drug use are bound to amplify and take part in pre-existing criminal activities. This has sensitized...
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...Tayla Batten In most societies of the past and present, women are perceived as being inferior and passive. Women are biologically seen to be emotional, docile, nurturing and quite dependent on the male partner, while men are seen to be aggressive, arrogant, dominant and independent. (Lombroso, 1998) Cesare Lombroso, one of the earliest theorists of female criminality based his theory purely on a strict biological point of view. Lombroso stated “females are less inclined to commit crimes because women are more conservative, they are less exposed to society since their duties are mainly in the household, which gives them less of an opportunity to commit crimes, and because their brains are less developed than males, which causes them to act more primitive.” (Lombroso, 1998) When a female commits a violent and brutal crime, it come’s as a shock to society because women are not expected to be criminals, and therefore they are labeled ‘mad not bad’ according to Lee Bryant, author of ‘Feminism and Crime’. Lee Bryant argues, “The perception that women may be ‘mad’ because they ‘dared to go against their natural biological givens such as ‘passivity’ and a ‘weakness of compliance’ ‘appears to originate from the view that women who conform as pure, obedient daughters, wives and mothers benefit society and men”. (Bryant, 2000) Lombroso’s theory looks at that characteristics of the offender and determines that the female offender often is masculine and her skull is more like a man’s size...
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...teenager”, and “cowers”, help to construct an emotionally engaging news story. These words play on the audience’s sense of sympathy for the innocent or vulnerable victim and her heroic friend against these unknown group (or ‘gang’) that disregarded a seemingly public area of a suburban train station. Deconstruct the article News values: Timeliness- this incident in the recent week. Impact- Occurred in Sydney, so affects Australians. In a train station, so impacts those who use public transport or those who know people who do. Also as it was a crime by high school students it insinuates that crime is prominent or possible near school districts or where young adolescences gather hence affecting those in most suburban areas across Australia. Proximity- geographically relevant as above. Novelty- it is likely more common to hear stories about adults or male groups being the perpetrators so a crime story of 6 females being physically violent is novel. Women are more known for verbal unkindness. Conflict- group dynamic, 6 girls aged 16 and one girl aged 13 involved. Contemporaneousness- the video stated that mobile cameras capturing violence like this is becoming more common and the extreme extent of bullying recently has become apparent. Human interest-...
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