Criminology 12

I had chosen to do my crime media project on the television program Law and Order: Special Victims Unit. While watching this program I noticed a few things that were reoccurring trends in the type of crimes that were committed in this show. The majority of the crimes committed in this program are sexual assaults and tied in with the sexual assaults in some cases there are kidnappings and murders. While watching the show I noticed that these crimes were committed because of many different reasons depending on what episode you were to watch. The most typical sexual assaults seen in the show are either one of the three types of sexual assaults, Anger sexual assault, power sexual assault or, less commonly seen in the show is sadistic sexual assault. The show also shows in some episodes gang rape and acquaintance rape or date rape. When sexual assault is committed with power as the motive its because the attacker wants to feel dominance over the victim. Power sexual assault is a way for the

We have watched many forms of American crime media as well as a few forms of Canadian crime media. From what we have seen in both American crime media and Canadian crime media I'm pretty sure its safe to say that both these forms are pretty different in many ways. For example while watching the Canadian coverage of the Russell Williams case I noticed that the way the situation was presented was different than the American coverage of it. In the Canadian version the story was presented at a much slower pace and more information about Russell Williams background was given to us. The story was also presented in a way that let me make up my own opinion about him and gave me all the information I needed to come up with my opinion. Plenty of information was given but the information was given in a more mature respectful way compared to the American coverage of the story. In the American coverage of the story less information about Russell Williams himself was given but all the other info

As we saw in the Casey Anthony trial social media started to become a huge part of the whole trial. Photos of Casey Anthony dancing and partying just days after her two year old daughter supposedly went missing were found on social media and then used to help the prosecutors case. This has begun to happen more and more in criminal trials where prosecutors and defense lawyers use social media to help with information for the case. Everything from the defendants social media can be used for evidence, things like photos and the time and place those photos were posted can be used, we saw this in the Casey Anthony case. Not only photos are used but also times the defendant logged in and anyone he or she are friends with are used. This type of information can be extremely valuable for a lawyers case however it also poses a problem with peoples rights. Taking this kind of information has brought up problems in cases before where the government or law enforcement has violated the fourth amendm

     Television programs have created many stereotypes about social class divisions and how they relate with crime. When you watch any television program rather it be reality, drama, or comedy they all have pretty much the same view on this topic and create the same type of stereotype. This stereotype is that the lower class are the ones who commit the crimes. In television programs people from the lower class who commit crimes are shown to be the type of people that are maybe in some type of organized crime group. Rather the goal of the group is to make profit from drugs, prostitution or any other illegal way to make money, all the members are from the lower class. I also find that the media often shows people from the lower classes in television shows as to be non Caucasian. In reality the relationship between social class and crime is similar but also very different at the same time. In real life both people from higher class social statuses and lower class statuses commit crimes bu