[link removed] [[link removed]]
John,
Misleading news coverage of crime and justice policies has played an integral role in the 50-year history of mass incarceration. Newsrooms should strive to more accurately and critically cover these issues. The Sentencing Project’s updated Media Guide: 10 Crime Coverage Dos and Don’ts [[link removed]] can help media outlets develop coverage that will inform the public and policymakers on how to pursue the most effective and humane public safety policies.
U.S. crime rates increased dramatically beginning in the 1960s, but between 1991 and 2019 crime rates fell by about half. However during this crime drop, polls showed that most Americans continued to believe that crime rates were increasing. As certain crimes began climbing in 2020, driven by the turbulence of the pandemic, it has become especially important for the media to ensure that its crime coverage is accurate and complete.
Included among the media guide’s recommendations:
*
Critically
assess
whether
the
“tough
on
crime”
label
should
be
adopted
for
ineffective
policies;
*
Note
the
limited
and
declining
role
of
youth
crimes;
*
Recognize
that
growing
prison
terms
for
violent
crimes
are
a
key
driver
of
mass
incarceration
and
have
been
proven
to
be
largely
ineffective;
*
Accurately
present
crime
survivors
as
having
a
complexity
of
views
regarding
sentencing;
*
Conduct
a
racial
equity
audit
on
the
quantity
and
quality
of
crime
coverage.
Read the guide [[link removed]]
[[link removed]] Nazgol Ghandnoosh
Co-Director of Research
Email: [email protected]
Donate [[link removed]]
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Washington, DC 20036
United States
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