...Social Media and Law Enforcement Christian Perez After the Boston marathon bombings, social media played a major role on the incident providing true facts and other times not so true. Media is a means of communication with the intent to influence a wide audience (Stuart, 2013). Social networking, which allows multiple people to share information with one another and it provides the public with reporting power of major or everyday incidents with the push of a button. Law enforcement agencies are well aware of this and have stepped up their efforts of using this means of communications as a crime fighting tool. Social media can be used for public relations, crime prevention, and criminal investigation. Departments that create a presence on social media sites open a new door of communication with the general public. By doing so citizens can receive real-time information, as well as an electronic method of asking questions, making suggestions, and providing tips that help solve crimes (Stuart, 2013). However, there has to be some kind of controls established to manage the information in a way that does not create misinformation and technicalities. Community Policing In the first 48 hours of the Boston marathon bombings, law enforcement officials released to the public information on the suspects and asked the people to share with them any information they had in reference to the incident and social media played a great role. A picture clearly shows one of the eventual suspects...
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...the role of the media in the construction of the general public`s perceptions of crime and the implications of this for the development of safety policies. The primary source of information on crime and safety policies is the mass media. Mass media has a primary aim to inform and entertain and therefore the coverage of crime may be inaccurate, biased and may promote inappropriate policies of crime control. However, the influence that the media imposes upon the public about crime will ultimately be dependent upon how the content of the media is interpreted by specific audiences. In relation to crime statistics and the public’s perceptions, the Government's British Crime Survey (BCS) of 2008/9, results showed that UK public felt crime had increased locally from 36 per cent in 2007/08 to 38 per cent in 2008/09 and an increase in the proportion of people who think crime has increased nationally from 65 per cent in 2007/08 to 75 per cent in 2008/09 when in fact the figures had decreased. On the other hand, some categories of crime did show an increase, such as theft from the person which increased by 7 per cent. Two main categories of mass media are print media and electronic media. Both categories differ in the way that print media is mainly factual and electronic media tends to provide visual imaging to relay information. At present visual media coverage is the most predominant in conveying the meanings and emotions of various crimes. It appears that visual media is what helps...
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...Patterns of Discrimination in Police Agencies Lauren Raven CJS/221 Alan Hazel 3-15-2015 Patterns of Discrimination in Police Agencies Experiences with social institutions and law enforcement agencies shape the worldview by influencing community-police relations through individual and group perception. The patterns and existence of institutionalized discrimination, contextual discrimination, and individual discriminatory behaviors within the criminal justice system carry considerable influence on public perception of police departments. The effects of social class, race, and ethnicity on citizen opinions of how law enforcement agencies operate include instances of corruption, systematic discrimination, and general misunderstandings of cultural diversities. Institutionalized discrimination describes a wider pattern of events regarding discriminatory practices incorporated into processes, procedures, and organizational structure (Walker, Spone, Delone, 2012). An example may include policies that permit judges to consider employment or domestic history in their decision making process.Whether these occurrences are due to prejudice or racism, or are the result of a general lack of consideration for the needs of various social identities, they essentially indicate a problematic system. Pure justice provides restorative justice for victims and their rights, yet attains an unbiased, unprejudiced...
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... Christopher Dorner had been fired from the LAPD nearly four years ago after reporting unnecessary conduct by another officer and in those four years he was planning something no one saw coming. Dorner posted a manifesto on his social network page and on February 3, 2013 it all began! His first 2 victims had been shot and killed and there were more deaths to follow. Dorner was after any and all law enforcement and anyone involved with them and LAPD had no idea what else was in store. The manhunt lasted for a little over a week and authorities had no idea where he was or what his next move could have been. Somehow, they caught up with him finally and it all ended with a cabin on fire and Dorner allegedly dead. ABC 7 was not subjective, they reported the information they had, and the reporters did not seem to make subjective comments in the first report. Some information I found odd to be reported was the preschool Dorner attended. Has the reports continued, it started to seem like all the stations were being subjective in their reports. Fox 11 news was the most subjective; the reporters shared how terrible they thought the events were and hoped for Dorner’s capture. In both stations the information that was omitted or never spoken of in detail was how good of a person everyone knew Christopher Dorner as. There were people who wanted to share their experiences with him and who have known him for years and never thought of him as a killer, but apparently none of that mattered at...
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... Christopher Dorner had been fired from the LAPD nearly four years ago after reporting unnecessary conduct by another officer and in those four years he was planning something no one saw coming. Dorner posted a manifesto on his social network page and on February 3, 2013 it all began! His first 2 victims had been shot and killed and there were more deaths to follow. Dorner was after any and all law enforcement and anyone involved with them and LAPD had no idea what else was in store. The manhunt lasted for a little over a week and authorities had no idea where he was or what his next move could have been. Somehow, they caught up with him finally and it all ended with a cabin on fire and Dorner allegedly dead. ABC 7 was not subjective, they reported the information they had, and the reporters did not seem to make subjective comments in the first report. Some information I found odd to be reported was the preschool Dorner attended. Has the reports continued, it started to seem like all the stations were being subjective in their reports. Fox 11 news was the most subjective; the reporters shared how terrible they thought the events were and hoped for Dorner’s capture. In both stations the information that was omitted or never spoken of in detail was how good of a person everyone knew Christopher Dorner as. There were people who wanted to share their experiences with him and who have known him for years and never thought of him as a killer, but apparently none of that mattered at...
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...Unit 3 – Citizenship, Diversity and the Public Services Assignment 3 P7 - Report on three examples of current affairs that affect public services and citizens M4 - Analyse the effects on citizens and public services of the way that three examples of current affairs have been reported by the media. Current affairs in the UK that affect the Public Services and citizens of society are the student demonstrations, the increase of fuel prices and the cutbacks of the Public Services. These all have an effect on society and the affect it has depends on the way in which the media portrays the Public Services and citizens of society. Fuel Prices Increase - The recent fuel price increase sparked anger amongst motorists across the UK. A protest consisting of 1,000 vehicles travelling to the M56 and onto the M6 where the convoy extended by a further 500. The Police were informed of the protest and were there to patrol the protest to keep order. A statement to the press was made saying that the Police had turned back tractors and issued tickets to farmers. They also had dogs ready to release into the protesters if an outbreak occurred. This incident also gave a negative perspective of the Police Service as the media only published stories that portrayed the Police in a bad way and this affects citizens as they will not trust the Police if they act in an aggressive or ill-mannered behaviour towards those they have the duty to serve. Public Services Cutbacks - It is estimated that over...
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...the rise. So, what does this mean to the ones wearing blue? How does all of this relate back to police officers? Sherriff David Clark expresses himself by saying the following, “American law enforcement officers understand that race is and has been a heated issue in our country. Most appreciate the vital need for thoroughness and transparency in pursuit of the greater good in their actions and in their investigations (BrainyQuotes).” Although police brutality does happen, the media makes...
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...Canada the press wants to inform the public of anything that is happening that could affect or just be interesting to the public. These recordings are free from bias, and outside interests. This information can be regulated and limited by other rights in the country. All of this is part of the social responsibility theory of media. The Canadian media has regulations such as those stated in the Canadian Press Policy's “Everything that we do must be honest, unbiased and unflinchingly fair. We deal with facts that are demonstrable, supported by sources that are reliable and responsible.” The Canadian press fallows these regulations which leads to the public getting unbiased news from reliable sources. There is circumstances in Canada that make our media not as free and open as it could be. Regulations such as the Youth Criminal Justice Act allows youths to keep there privacy, and not release names to the public. Other circumstances would be when there is violent criminals, a recent case would be the arrow death in Kitchener, where the police are not giving out much information on where the shooter may be or what is happening with the investigation. The...
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...Personal Side of Policing How does stress affect the policing community? • How does police culture support police officers in evolving job situations? • What resources exist to help officers handle stress? • Cite and list your sources. Working as a police officer can be a rewarding job; however, it is also a stressful one. Nearly twice as many police officers die by their own hand as those who are killed in the line of duty. Although there is no way to eliminate stress and the burnout it can cause, there are things you can do to prevent stress from worsening and make it more manageable. Policing is one of the most stressful occupations in contemporary society. Many police officers deal with potentially dangerous situations on a daily basis and are required to handle a wide range of different and challenging tasks as a matter of routine. Furthermore, because they occupy a unique position in relation to the public they exist to serve and protect, the police are required to maintain high standards and are frequently subjected to intense scrutiny and criticism from the media and the public at large. There are two categories of occupational stress: eustress (stress that is normal and good, even providing on-the-job motivation) and disstress (stress that is outside of the normal range and very harmful over time). Often referred to as stressors, the causes of police stress can be broadly categorized according to the source of...
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...Social Psychology Concept Matrix Donna Conahan Dr. Marina Stakic PSY110008VA016-1134-001 May 3, 2013 Social Psychology Concept | Definition | Application to SocietyProvide Example | Application to Criminal JusticeProvide Example | Application to the IndividualProvide Example | Survey Research | Survey research begins with a set of well-defined structured statements and/or questions that have been given to a select group of people allowing for the mathematical measurement of personal beliefs, attitudes, values and/or behavioral tendencies. | An example of a survey that would be applicable to society would be the issues and effects of marital separation that brings about disruption in the household and negatively affects the children as well as the spouses ability to cope and adjust which ultimately prevents reconciliation thereby leads to divorce. | An example of a survey that applies to criminal justice would be a survey that addresses how to change the public’s opinions and attitudes toward the criminal justices system. This survey would include the common criminal acts in their community, how they are currently being handled, what would like to see in the way of changing their community, what their expectations are of the local police, the changes they would like to see with how the police and criminal justice system handle these perpetrators. | Due to today’s economic hard times, I think a great survey could be how this nation’s economy has brought about...
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...isn’t the friendly site some think it to be. The site does have a dreary side that some may find to be appalling. Something anyone will find on Facebook, as well as any social networking site, is predators. One should also be cautious about those weekend posts and pictures from the bar, or a status update about a bad day at work; this being, because employers are able to access this information and could potentially put your job on the line. Facebook also directly affects students. Studies have shown that students who use Facebook while they study tend to have lower grades than those that don’t. While Facebook does have its upside, giving users the ability to keep in touch with old friends and family, we can see that the bad aspects of the site outweigh the good. With this information we can conclude that while Facebook is a hot commodity in today’s culture, it can be also very detrimental to its users. There are close to 5,000,000 predators surfing the internet every day. If a child is on an online community, such as Facebook, there is a 50 percent chance that the person he or she is talking to is a sexual predator with a fake profile. This is the number one reason parents or any individual should take extra caution when signing up to become a member of Facebook. In today’s society, it is fairly simple to become the person you’ve always wanted to be via the internet. Changing your identity couldn’t be any easier. This is how predators get to people. “There’s a lot of really sick...
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...functionalist theory. First it will explain what structural functionalism is, then it will define structures, functions, a political party and an opposition party then before giving the conclusion it will discuss the problems faced by opposition parties in Zambia. Johari (2011) defines structural functionalism as a means of explaining what political structures perform what basic functions in a political system, it is a tool of investigation. Macions and Gerber (2010:14) states “this approach looks at society through a macro-level orientation, which is a broad focus on the social structures that shape society as a whole and by this society evolves like organisms”. According to Johari (2011:73) “functions deal with the consequences involving objectives as well as processes of the patterns of action, Structures refer to those arrangements within the system which perform the functions. For example the police are a structure within the political system that have a function of maintaining peace and order. “In the concept of functions, three basic questions are involved- what basic functions are discharged in any given system, by what instruments those functions are performed and under what conditions the performance of these functions are done”,(Ibid). Merton (1957:51) says “functions are those observed consequences which make for the adaptation or re-adjustment of a given system and dysfunctions those observed consequences which lessen the adaptation or adjustment of the system”...
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...Shows the way to act. - Social control – rewards for conformity and punishment for deviance. Controls behaviour. Inevitability of crime – functionalists see crime as inevitable and universal. Every society has crime. Two reasons why crime and deviance are in all societies: - No everyone is equally socialized into norms and values. Some are likely to be deviant. - Diversity of lifestyle and values. Different groups have their own subcultures with distinctive norms and values. Some may see deviant acts as normal. > Durkheim says in modern societies there is tendency towards anomie. The rules for behaviour become weaker and less clear-cut. This is because modern societies have a complex division of labour meaning individuals become more different from each other. Crime is more likely. Positive functions of crime – it also performs two positive functions Boundary maintenance - produces a reaction from society, uniting members in disapproval of criminals and reinforcing their commitment to shared norms and values. Adaptation and change – all change starts with an act of deviance. There must be scope to challenge existing norms and values and this will seem deviant in the short run. Criticisms - Durkheim says society requires deviance to function properly but states no way of knowing how much is the right amount. - Functionalists see crime in terms of its function. Crime may not exist to fulfill these functions. - Functionalists look at how functions of crime serve...
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...May 12, 2014 The Media and its Responsibilities The media should follow certain ethical standards for the information they present to the public. Most people get their information from watching the news, the internet, listening to the radio and other forms of media. The reporters and journalists providing the information through media outlets have a responsibility to provide neutral and honest information to the general population. The media must remain accountable for producing information that can be verified with records. They must also be liable for the consequences of reporting their stories. If the story that is being reported is not done appropriately it could lead to negative consequences. Media outlets need to follow sets of ethical guidelines to ensure that they are providing accurate and valuable stories. The media needs to provide information that is ethically sound so that people are able to receive the news in a non-biased, factual way. This includes opinions on political stances, as well as reports on current events in our communities. If the media reports a story in a way that could sway the viewer, or misrepresent the facts, it could affect how the public reacts to this event. Misrepresenting the facts in a story can lead to pretty severe problems for the people. The people could be angered or panicked from the news they hear, or it could lead to false reports about an innocent person among many other potential negative impacts. A solid way to analyze...
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...Abstract How human beings judge others has been the subject of many psychological studies over the years. In this paper, psychology in the legal arena is discussed including jury selection, juror life experiences and how it affects their biases, and the impact of the media on their decisions. Jury Selection and Its Importance Juries have the all too important task of making life altering decisions dealing with money, freedom, and many times life or death situations. Therefore, serving on a jury is a very serious and important proposition. Unfortunately, in today’s society it appears that many times juries are selected in a rather casual manner. Many individuals called to jury service, especially those with a higher education or in a higher economic echelon, can find ways to escape their civic duty, while those who are less educated and theoretically less qualified for jury service, end up serving on the jury and making critical decisions. A fairly new trend in jury selection is that of trial consulting, which gained notoriety in the mid 1990’s in the O.J. Simpson trial. The application of scientific jury selection (SJS) was first applied in 1971, and has grown tremendously in recent years for those who have the means to employ such methods. The goal of the trial consultant is to find persons to fill the jury seats who optimally will arrive at a decision that will be favorable to their client. The tools used by the trial consultant include “…community...
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