NCJ Number
231193
Journal
Howard Journal of Criminal Justice Volume: 49 Issue: 2 Dated: May 2010 Pages: 147-165
Date Published
May 2010
Length
19 pages
Annotation
This article examined the various ways that police departments represent criminal activities, with particular focus on the Toronto Police Department's depiction of the city's increase in gun violence.
Abstract
This article discusses the ways in which the Toronto Police Service has constructed the problem of gun violence in the city. This violence is commonly associated in the media with young Black males. The data for this study derived from semi-structured interviews with police officers and secondary sources, including police public statements, press releases, and official documents. The most prominent police frame attributed the problem of gun violence in Toronto to the proliferation of gangs, illegal gun smuggling and illicit drug trafficking. Other frames, to a lesser degree, blamed structural factors such as poverty and unemployment, disintegrated neighborhoods and families, and a faulty legal system. References (Published Abstract)