Discuss the changes that you have observed since your childhood in the way crime and justice is portrayed in the media. Which changes do you think are positive and which ones do you think are negative? Discuss whether the media today more often promotes crime control or due process goals.
Discuss a commercial film’s portrayal of a real serial killer in comparison with the historical facts.
Discuss a recent high-profile crime in terms of how the social construction process was utilized to construct the event as a symbolic crime and any social and policy impacts that resulted.
Discuss your views about how much crime and violence in society would disappear if there were no crime and justice media.
Why do you think certain criminals get more publicity than their victims? What impact does this have on victims and their families?