Week 2

All questions are worth 20 points:

1. Discuss whether you feel that some types of media (films, books, electronic video games, for example) are more criminogenic than others or whether some content is more dangerous than other content.
2. Discuss the differences between cultures that appear to have large amounts of criminogenic media but small levels of copycat crime, such as Japan.  Identify several countries that have higher levels of both, such as the United States. What might change in a culture to increase the copying of media portrayed crimes?
3. Why do you feel that the media often portrays law enforcement in a poor light rather than for their positive attributes?
4. How do crime shows portray police work? Is this helpful or harmful to the criminal justice system? Give examples.
5. Discuss how a trial by jury is a small-scale example of social constructionism.