NCJ Number
45796
Journal
Australian and New Zealand Journal of Criminology Volume: 10 Issue: Y Dated: (DECEMBER 1977) Pages: 244-252
Date Published
1977
Length
9 pages
Annotation
A STUDY WAS UNDERTAKEN TO DETERMINE IF INCREASED PUBLIC CONCERN WITH VIOLENCE IS ATTRIBUTABLE TO AN ACTUAL INCREASE IN THE INCIDENCE OF VIOLENT CRIME IN VICTORIA, AUSTRALIA, OVER TIME OR TO INCREASED MEDIA REPORTING.
Abstract
DATA ON VIOLENT CRIME WERE COMPILED FROM THE LAW AND CRIME STATISTICS OF THE COLONY OF VICTORIA, THE VICTORIAN YEAR BOOKS, AND THE MAJOR CRIME INDEX, AND ALL FIGURES WERE EXPRESSED AS RATES PER 100,000 POPULATION FOR THE YEARS 1875 THROUGH 1975. A CONTENT ANALYSIS OF VICTORIAN NEWSPAPERS WITH THE HIGHEST CIRCULATIONS FOR THE YEARS UNDER STUDY WAS ALSO DONE TO ASCERTAIN THE PROMINENCE GIVEN TO VIOLENT CRIME BY THE MASS MEDIA. TABLES OF ANNUAL RATES FOR HOMICIDE, ASSAULTS, RAPE, AND DRUNK AND DISORDERLY (D&D) CONDUCT PER 100,000 POPULATION, ARTICLES ON VIOLENCE, SPACE DEVOTED TO VIOLENCE, NUMBER AND LENGTH OF ARTICLES, TYPE OF ARTICLE, TYPE OF VIOLENCE, AND SIZE OF HEADLINES ARE PRESENTED. HOMICIDE WAS THREE TIMES HIGHER IN THE 1870'S THAN IN THE 1970'S, WHILE ASSAULT WITH GRIEVOUS BODILY HARM HAS ALMOST DOUBLED IN THE SAME PERIOD. RAPE AND ATTEMPTED RAPE WERE AT THEIR HIGHEST LEVELS DURING THE 1870'S, DROPPED EIGHTFOLD BY 1916, AND HAVE SHOWN A STEADY INCREASE SINCE 1959 TO 1975, ALTHOUGH 1975 LEVELS ARE STILL BELOW THOSE OF THE 1870'S. D&D OFFENSES WERE 50 PERCENT LOWER IN 1975 THAN DURING THE PERIOD PRIOR TO 1916. IN GENERAL, THE SPACE DEVOTED TO VIOLENCE HAS INCREASED STEADILY DURING THE PAST 100 YEARS, PARTIALLY AS A RESULT OF AN INCREASE IN FEATURE ARTICLES. THE GREATEST PERCENTAGE OF ARTICLES DURING THE PERIOD UNDER STUDY HAS BEEN DEVOTED TO THE REPORTING OF MURDER AND MANSLAUGHTER. RAPE, WHICH WAS LITTLE REPORTED IN THE YEARS BETWEEN 1923 AND 1964, ROSE SIGNIFICANTLY DURING THE 1970'S. IN ADDITION, THE INCREASING USE AND SIZE OF HEADLINES AND THE LATER INCLUSION OF PHOTOGRAPHS HAVE TENDED TO EMPHASIZE VIOLENCE. FINDINGS INDICATE THAT THE MASS MEDIA, WHICH PLAY AN EXCEEDINGLY IMPORTANT ROLE IN THE SHAPING OF PUBLIC ATTITUDES, PUBLICIZE VIOLENT CRIME TO A GREATER EXTENT THAN EVER BEFORE. THIS IS PARTICULARLY TRUE WHEN ONE CONSIDERS THE GREATER CIRCULATION OF NEWSPAPERS AND PERIODICALS AND THE IMPACT OF RADIO AND TELEVISION. THE QUESTION OF OVERREPORTING AND UNDERREPORTING BY THE MEDIA DURING THE TIME STUDIED CANNOT BE ANSWERED CONCLUSIVELY; HOWEVER IT WOULD APPEAR THAT THE ONLY CRIME MARKEDLY AND CONSISTENTLY OVERREPORTED IS MURDER. A PREVIOUS STUDY HAS ALSO SHOWN THAT THE PUBLIC GREATLY OVERESTIMATES THE ACTUAL NEWSPAPE COVERAGE GIVEN TO CRIMES OF VIOLENCE, AND THAT THERE IS LITTLE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PERCEIVED AND ACTUAL INCIDENCE. (JAP)