The rapid development of information and communication technology has shaped the modern age, transforming the relations between, time, space, and identity. In the past, news traveled very slowly from one place to another, but currently, the same information can reach any part of the world with a click of a button. With the advancement in media and its users to share information, there is a mix in culture, norms, and beliefs due to constant global exchange where cultures used to be distinguishable in national or geographical terms. Media play a critical role in defining contemporary social life by influencing the behavior and decision-making among individuals (Song et al., 2017). Understanding the connection between the crime media and fear of crime is critical towards determining the cultural place that crime and media occupy in the social world.
Various research conducted on the impact of media and fear of crime indicates that the high amount of violence in mass media increases the fear of criminal victimization among the public. Mass media play a critical role in determining crime content by distorting the reality of crime or disproportionately focusing on specific violent crimes (Rader et al., 2012). The media can influence the fear of crime in society by constructing a new crime problem or moral panic by twisting the way they pass information of the event to people. By creating moral panic, media play a critical role in developing anxiety, and paranoia among the people; therefore, influencing society's fear of crime.
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Fear of crime has a significant effect on the quality of life, economy, communication, and social justice system. Fear of crime at the personal level causes issues such as anxiety, paranoia, and other psychological issues that harm the quality of life (Ruijsbroek et al., 2015). On the social level, fear of crime leads to segregation and prejudice enabling insecurity to become a major policy concern. Economically, fear of crime triggers the prosperous individual in the society to protect themselves and their property, in turn displacing crime and insecurity to the less privileged in the society (Curiel & Bishop, 2018). Fear can also transform some of the public and commercial places into inhabitable areas causing a severe economic impact on the local prosperity. Fear of crime also influences the delivery of quality service in the justice system because some of the judges or juries fear ruling against potential criminals who can harm or kill them after the case (Becerra et al., 2017). The rising cost preventing crime and fear of it also influence the efficient operation of the criminal justice system.
Methodology
The study utilized a qualitative research design enabling the researcher to obtain qualitative information from the participants to provide answers to research questions. Convenience sampling was used to select participants consisting of criminal justice professionals. When collecting data, the researcher used face-to-face semi-structured interviews to obtain information from the participants. The interview questions focused on media crime, fear of crime, the influence of mass media on crime, and fear of crime on justice delivery. The data collected from the participants were analyzed using a thematic data analysis approach that enables the researcher to identify relevant themes to inform the study.
Research Questions
How does media influence the fear of crime in society?
How does mass media contribute to the fear of crime?
How does fear of crime influence justice delivery?
Hypotheses
H 1 : There is a positive correlation between media and fear of crime in society.
H 1 : Media has a significant contribution to the fear of crime.
H 1 : There is a significant positive correlation between fear of crime and delivery of criminal justice.
Description of The Interview Process
The process of collecting information from the participants involved using the interview guide to obtain the information used to answer the research questions. The interview took between 10 and 15 minutes, and it was sufficient to gather the necessary data to inform the study.
Analysis/Results
After completing a thematic analysis of the information collected from the participants, the researcher organized the identified themes into three primary clusters. The clusters included (a) influence of media on fear of crime, (b) contribution of media to fear of crime, and (c) influence of fear of crime on justice delivery. Each cluster comprises two to three themes that illustrate the perspective of the participants concerning the subject matter.
Influence of Media on Fear of Crime
The cluster describes the influence that media has on fear of crime among the participants. The cluster also represents how participants interpret media information concerning criminal activities.
Media has a significant influence on fear of crime.
Some of the participants reported that media play a critical role in influencing their fear of crime. The way journalists cover and report events of crime influence how the public perceives criminal activities in society. One of the participants said that "the journalist and editors package the information to create fear among the readers." Another participant responded by saying, "media sometimes organize and exaggerate their information concerning crime to attract the attention of readers and make the news interesting." Media can also change how the consumer of the news perceive crime. One participant mentioned that "media can cover up crime information to minimize its sensitive effect in the public." Changing or dropping some of the information by the media can make crime less serious or sensitive causing minimal or no fear in the public. Media, therefore, has a positive and negative influence on the fear of crime in society.
Many participants perceived that their interpretation of criminal information creates fear of crime.
During the interview, participants were asked to reflect on the influence of media on their fear of crime. The majority of the participants reported that media organize their information or use words to achieve the fear of crime among the consumers of the information. One participant indicated that "when I read news or information concerning crime from a particular source, I always develop more fear for criminal activities."
The Contribution of Media to Fear of Crime
The cluster describes how media play the critical role of contributing to fear of crime among the participants.
Many participants believed that journalists and editors use media to create fear of crime.
In the media industry, editors and journalists play a significant role in contributing to fear of crime among the consumers of the information. One participant said that "editors and journalists use media to cause fear of crime in the public and help reduce the cases of criminal activities." Another participant also said that "I used to engage in criminal activities, but after reading a newspaper covering a robbery event, I quit the behavior due to severe consequences associated with such criminal activities." The way crime media package information contributes to fear of crime by highlighting the consequences of criminal activities at the end, developing fear among the perpetrators of criminal activities.
The government uses media to minimize criminal cases in society.
One of the ways that the government uses to reduce the causes of crime in society is to use media to cause panic or anxiety among the individuals who engage in criminal activities. One participant said that "by creating fear government reduces the cases of criminal activities in the community."
Influence of Fear of Crime on Justice Delivery
The cluster comprises three themes that illustrate how fear of crime influences the delivery of justice.
Fear of crime improves the delivery of justice.
The majority of the participants reported that fear of crime improves the delivery of services in the justice system. One participant said, "I always stick to rules and regulations when serving justice because I fear engaging in unlawful activity or crime." The fear of crime among the judges and jury enables them to perform their duty diligently and serve justice appropriately.
Fear of crime affects the proper delivery of justice.
Some of the participants reported that their fear of crime affects their ability to deliver justice appropriately. One of the participants indicated that "because of the fear I have for crime, I don't like going against potential criminals because they can kill or harm me." Some people fear doing the right thing in the justice system that goes against criminals because they are afraid of being victims of criminal activities.
Fear of crime simplifies the delivery of justice.
Some participants reported that even though criminals engage in criminal activities, the fear of crime and associated consequences. Many factors force people to engage in criminal activities, and when the matter reaches the justice system, their fear of crime makes it simple for the jury and judges to make the ruling over the case. One of the participants said that "some of the criminals admit their participation to crime because they fear crime and associated consequences." The fear of crime and its consequences among the criminals simplifies the work of judges in court because they are afraid of denying their participation in the activity and later become guilty after investigations.
Conclusion
The advancement in media technology in the recent past has enabled sharing of information, norms, culture, and beliefs across the world. Media play a vital role in defining contemporary social life by influencing the decision-making and behavior of people. Mass media play a critical role in creating fear of crime by transforming the content of crime reports and focusing on specific violent crimes. Fear of crime has a significant impact on quality of life, the economy, the social justice system, and communication. Fear of crime causes anxiety, paranoia, and psychological issues to an individual. The study utilized a qualitative research design and used face-to-face interviews to collect data from criminal justice professionals. The thematic analysis of data yielded several themes grouped into three primary clusters that include (a) influence of media on fear of crime, (b) contribution of media to fear of crime, and (c) influence of fear of crime on justice delivery. The analysis indicates that media has a significant impact on fear of crime which in turn influences the delivery of criminal justice.
Media play a critical role in informing the public on what is going on around them. Media can be used to change people's perception of many things in their lives; for instance, creating fear of crime can help discourage people from participating in such illegal activities. In the future, it is essential to ensure that media embrace transparency and ensure that they report the rates of crimes with accuracy. Distorting information concerning crime has a significant impact on the delivery of criminal justice, and media should remain accountable for all information they give to the public. There is a need to have policies that ensure media provide accurate information when reporting criminal activities.
References
Becerra, D., Wagaman, M. A., Androff, D., & Messing, J. (2017). Policing immigrants: Fear of deportations and perceptions of law enforcement and criminal justicePolicing immigrants: Fear of deportations and perceptions of law enforcement and criminal justice. Journal of Social Work, 17(6) , 715-731.
Curiel, R. P., & Bishop, S. R. (2018). Fear of crime: the impact of different distributions of victimisation. Palgrave Communications, 4(1) , 1-8.
Rader, N. E., Cossman, J. S., & Porter, J. R. (2012). Fear of crime and vulnerability: Using a national sample of Americans to examine two competing paradigms. Journal of Criminal Justice, 40(2) , 134-141.
Ruijsbroek, A., Droomers, M., & Groenewegen, P. P. (2015). Social safety, self-rated general health and physical activity: changes in area crime, area safety feelings and the role of social cohesion. Health & Place, 31 , 39-45.
Song, S. Y., Cho, E., & Kim, Y. K. (2017). Personality factors and flow affecting opinion leadership in social media. Personality and Individual Differences, 114 , 16-23.
Interview Guide
What are the impacts of media advancement in your profession?
In your opinion, what is the role of media on fear of crime?
How does media influence fear of the crime?
How does media contribute to the fear of crime?
Do you believe that media is strong enough to influence the criminal justice system?
In your opinion, does fear of crime influence the criminal justice system?
How does the government use media to reduce crime cases in society?
In your opinion, do you believe that fear of crime influences the delivery of justice?
How does fear of crime affect the delivery of service in your profession?
In your experience in the criminal justice system, do criminals fear crime? If yes, how does that influence provision of justice to the victims?
