Open AccessThe Importance of Telling a Good Story: An Experiment in Public Criminology
Author(s) -
FEILZER MARTINA
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
the howard journal of criminal justice
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1468-2311
pISSN - 0265-5527
DOI - 10.1111/j.1468-2311.2009.00589.x
Subject(s) - mainstream , criminal justice , criminology , subject (documents) , economic justice , politics , public sphere , empirical research , sociology , cultural criminology , political science , law , epistemology , philosophy , library science , computer science
This article explores the potential role for criminologists in contributing to the public debate on crime and criminal justice. Do reasoned academic contributions based on objective evaluation of relevant empirical evidence and ‘facts’ about crime and criminal justice have the potential to influence the public sphere dominated by competing communication strategies, media, and political discourses on crime? The author reflects on findings from research on a subject which can be broadly described as an experiment in public criminology. The author's research found that factual information on crime and criminal justice presented through a mainstream media outlet was largely ignored and did not have the expected and desired effect on members of the public.