Juvenile Offenders, Coverage of

Cristina Azocar

Crime news makes up a large segment of journalistic reportage. Juvenile crime is of special interest because it can affect changes in government policy and public perceptions of the nation's youth. Bundled into this issue are people's worries about their own children, generational fear and mistrust (i.e., older people are often afraid of younger people), and a tendency toward sensationalism on the part of the news media. Coverage of juvenile offenders includes broadcast and print news stories of crimes committed by minors (often defined as those 16 years of age and younger). This coverage is affected by the routines of news gathering (e.g., deadlines, reliance on sources, limited time/space), does not reflect social reality (i.e., the amount of coverage of juvenile crime does not reflect the actual amount of juvenile crime), and, according to early-twenty-first-century research, is increasingly affected by race and ethnicity. Little research appears to have been conducted ...

Users without subscription are not able to see the full content on this title. Please, subscribe or login to access all content on this website.