John,

Misleading news coverage of crime and justice policies has played a crucial role in the over 50-year history of mass incarceration. From the inflammatory coverage of the “Willie” Horton case to the misleading moral panic created around “superpredators,” sensationalist and racially-biased news media has boosted public support for harmful policies. The Sentencing Project’s updated media guide, 10 Crime Coverage Dos and Don’ts, can help media outlets avoid common missteps. This guide supports 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.

Our media guide’s recommendations include:

Critically assess whether the "tough on crime" label should be adopted for ineffective policies;
Recognize the limited role of youth crimes and evidence on appropriate responses to adolescent crime;
Acknowledge 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.