Crime, the media and the law - Dennis Howitt

The relationship between crime and its representation in the mass media has long been a source of great concern to the general public. Anxieties about the criminogenic properties of the media, particularly in regard to young people, have increasingly influenced media policy and legislation debates. This book looks at the role of the mass media in legal and criminal processes. Along with discussing the impact of the media on specific crimes such as juvenile offenses and hate crimes, the book also explores the media's tendency to engender "moral panics" in society and encourage urgent and massive response from the justice system.