Offenders in the Media

Offenders in the media are usually always portrayed as bad criminals that have willing committed a crime or a wrong doing. There are great misrepresentations of offenders in the media. There is a range of perspectives that may be taken into consideration when discussing the offenders within the media. The media however enjoys to make stereotypical portrayals about criminals.

There are a variety of criminal portrays that have now become quite stereotypical and well known. Surette (2002: 67-68) takes into account three main criminals which are now standardized by the media. They include the predatory criminal, the professional criminal or the heroic criminal.

The media enjoys representing the predatory criminal. These types of criminals may be described as interpersonal as they randomly choose their helpless victim that tends to be an innocent stranger (Surette, 2002). These types of criminals are more animalistic, irrational and ofcourse, depicted as predators. There crimes are more violent, senseless & sensational. This may be evident in film characters such as Hannibal Lecter, known as ‘Hannibal the Cannibal’. These criminals may be portrayed in a sensationalized manor as they instill a fear of crime. They may not have a particular reason for crime, other then twisted revenge or irrational violence. There may be theoretical underpinnings such as individual explanations. They are normally limited to certain individuals & may include biological or psychological explanations.

A secondary criminal portrayal includes the business & professional criminals, also known as those that commit white-collar crime. This relates to the types of crime which occur in an office or other professional environment. They are normally depicted as ruthless, determined and usually money hungry or a ladies’ man. Their crime is a form of work or business to them and possibly what they do for a living. Theoretical underpinnings may also include individual or psychological explanations. This type of criminal usually engages in such crimes such as fraud, money laundering and so on. A recent example of a business or professional criminal would be Jordan Belfort’s depiction in Wolf of Wall Street. A stockbroker who involved in criminal activities such as fraud within the stock market and clearly depicted as ruthless, money-hungry & as a ladies’ man within the film.

The third criminal portrayal within the media may also the heroic criminals. These criminals may commit crimes such as murder, theft, terrorism, vandalism and so on, yet are depicted to save the day. There reasons for crime may be political or sociological revenge or to fight back, as well as defence. Theoretical underpinnings include the strain/blocked opportunities. It may also include the labeling theory. Robin Hood may be an example as they use the excuse that the law is corrupt and oppressive. Due to this, they have no choice but to steal in order for them to survive or to save others. Other examples may include other superheroes in general. 

An interesting case or portrayal to consider within the media would be the show Dexter. Dexter may be portrayed as predatory criminal but also as a heroic criminal. He is a serial killer which commits animalistic crimes to people he does not personally know well. However, could he also be considered a heroic criminal? One that commits crime such as murder, to other criminals.

Beyond these stereotypical portrayals of criminals, there are also falsifications within news reporting media. When society thinks of a criminal, their minds will usually jump to conclusions of either youths, minorities or people from a different ethnicity. This is because there is a great deal of overrepresentation of young, ethnic minority suspects. This is in fact false, as offenders in fiction, tend to be of a primarily higher status, white and usually middle aged males. Racial typification of crime is common as the media over represents minorities as offenders on television as compared to their white counterparts. There is also a criminal typification of race, this occurs when a particular race is dominated by criminal figures.

Refernces:

Surette 2002: 67-68, ‘Lecture 8: Victims and Offenders in the Media’, UNSW Media, Crime and Politics, UNSW, Sydney

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