Day 10 — Media, Crime, Criminal Justice

Day 10: Monday, June 10, 2019 – Media , Juveniles and Delinquency 

 * * * * *

Dates to Remember:

   — Monday, June 10 — Visual Project’s Overall Learning Assessment due

   — Wednesday, June 12 — Last Class Meeting 

Topic: Media, Juveniles & Delinquency 

Preparatory Readings:

• • Potter and Kappeler. Constructing Crime. Chapter 6, 11 & 15.
  • Rafter. Shots in the Mirror. Chapter —
  • Surette. Media, Crime and Criminal Justice . Chapter —
  • Documentary:  “Central Park 5” (to be shown in class)

Lecture related links:

• • W.I. Thomas “Definition of the Situation
  • Theory, Policy, Practice 
  • “Who’s Habermas? Why Habermas?”

Concepts to be covered:

• • juvenile delinquent
  • Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention
• • difference between juvenile justice and the adult criminal justice system
  • status offenses
  • juveniles waived into adult court
  • gangs
  • youth violence
  • delinquency prevention & intervention
  • D.A.R.E.
  • cyber bullying

Discussion Questions:

Note: In order to answer these discussion questions, you will need to view  “Central Park 5” and the assigned readings. Due: Tuesday, June 11th.

1.    After viewing “Murder on a Sunday Morning” and “The Central Park 5”, what does this documentary tell us about the media’s portrayal of juveniles? How. Why. 
2.    What are today’s media images of American youth? Are these images more positive than negative? Why. 
3.    Does the public’s perception of youth crime match the official data? Why. Explain the role of the media and politics in shaping juvenile justice policy.   

Learning Beyond:

Note:  Other things you might want to explore beyond this week’s materials. 

• • Watch “Straight Outta Compton,” and explain the media portrayal of youth in this movie. How does this portrayal compare to other movies about kids?  
  • Do juvenile boot camps work? 
  • Examine a classic and a more recent movie depicting youth gangs. What are the similarities and differences? Why. 
  • Visit the OJJDP website and discuss what some of the programs presented.   

Recommended Readings:

— Anthony Platt. Child Savers.

— Anne Campbell. Girls in Gangs.

— Will Hobbs. Downriver. and the sequel, River Thunder. 

— Louis Sachar. Holes, and the sequel, Small Steps.

— Walter Myers. Monster.

— Geoffrey Canada. Fist Stick Knife Gun.

— Carl Hiassen. Hoot. (also,  Scat). 

— Christopher Paul Curtis. Bud, Not Buddy. 

— Susan Patron. The Higher Power of Lucky.

 

— Lawrence Lessig. Free Culture: How Big Media Uses Technology and the Law to Lock Down Culture and Control Creativity. 

• • Gaye Tuchman. The TV Establishment.
  • Herbert Schiller. Mind Managers.
  • Herbert Schiller. Information Inequality.
  • Todd Gitlin. Media Unlimited: How the Torrent of Images and Sounds Overwhelm Our Senses.
  • Todd Gitlin. The Whole World is Watching.
  • Robert McChesney. Rich Media, Poor Democracy.
  • Bernard Goldberg. Bias: A CBS Insider Exposes How the Media Distort the News.
  • Bernard Goldberg. Arrogance: Rescuing America from the Media Elite.

 

takata@uwp.edu

 

 Updated: June 9, 2019