Citation

Conrey SC, Haney C. J. Crime Justice 2021; 44(3): 297-315.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2021, Midwestern Criminal Justice Association, Publisher Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

10.1080/0735648X.2020.1803102

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

This study examined newspaper coverage of crime and criminal justice issues from 2015 through 2017, a period that encompassed significant political change. A total of 300 articles from four major national newspapers were coded for the presence of punitive and progressive crime- and criminal justice-related themes in order to assess whether, and how, the presence of these themes may have changed over time.

RESULTS indicated that the average number of articles with at least one progressive theme did not decrease overall, and there were substantially more articles with at least one progressive theme than those with at least one punitive theme. The progressive themes displayed a greater emphasis on arguments for reform rooted in social and justice-based considerations, compared to those based on fiscal savings or other practical considerations. However, keyword searches indicated that there may have been a decreased focus overall in major broadcast news and newspaper on the criminal justice system and criminal justice reform during this time period.

Language: en

Keywords

Criminal justice news; criminal justice reporting; media framing