NCJ Number
212388
Journal
Punishment & Society Volume: 7 Issue: 4 Dated: October 2005 Pages: 397-417
Date Published
October 2005
Length
21 pages
Annotation
This paper examines the differences between the United Kingdom and the United States regarding "moral panic" over asylum seekers and the resultant unjust detention of those fleeing persecution.
Abstract
Cohen (2002) has elaborated on the concept of "moral panic" in "Folk Devils and Moral Panics: the Creation of Mods and Rockers." According to Cohen, "moral panic" has occurred when "A condition, episode, person, or group of persons emerges to become defined as a threat to societal values and interests; its nature is presented in a stylized and stereotypical fashion by the mass media and politicians." At issue in this paper is moral panic directed toward asylum seekers who come to the United Kingdom and the United States seeking residence. The public in Great Britain has manifested what Cohen calls a "noisy" moral panic, which is displayed overtly in various public expressions of concern by citizen groups and the media. The United States, on the other hand, has shown what Cohen terms a "quiet" manifestation of moral panic, which involves minimal public and media attention to an issue but a concerned response from professionals and bureaucrats who formulate policy that receives little or no public or media exposure. These two types of moral panic toward asylum seekers played out in the United Kingdom and the United States have had the same consequence, i.e., the detention of asylum seekers. This moral panic regarding the admission of foreigners perceived as posing a threat to a society's safety and stability has led to a presumption that asylum seekers have ulterior motives in seeking asylum based on bogus claims of flight from persecution. In both countries, this has led to a denial of or indifference toward the human rights violations that are occurring in unjust detentions. 10 notes and 99 references