List your favorite shows, movies, podcasts, documentaries related to crime/deviance.
Criminal Minds, You, Brooklyn Nine-Nine.
What ideas about crime are portrayed in these popular depictions?
The idea that the criminal usually has a traumatic background of some sort is really prevalent in specifically Criminal Minds. These shows in particular show that sometimes crime might not be morally wrong, but the criminals must still be punished under the law.
How do they inform your perceptions about crime?
Because they usually show white men kidnapping or murdering multiple women, this leads me to believe that these crimes are the most prevalent, even though it isn’t true. They also desensitize the audience from violent crime, sometimes even sympathizing with the criminal, such as in the show You which is from the criminal’s perspective.
List 5 ‘facts’ that seem real from your collective favorites!
1. It’s very easy to find criminals using forensic data such as fingerprinting.
2. Most victims are randomly abducted women.
3. Cops are idiots and the FBI is much smarter.
4. The criminal will somehow always be in the middle of committing another crime when caught by the police.
5. Criminals always have a tragic backstory that explains why they commit crimes.
