Media and Prison: The Unknown

In today’s contemporary media it is almost impossible to turn on the television or open a newspaper without finding a story relating to crime. While crime and criminals play a significant contribution to news there seems to be less focus on prisons. In fact only 17% percent of crime and justice stories involve correctional institutions (Chermak). Therefore the purpose of this blog is to examine why such an important institution such as a prison which keeps people who are considered to be a threat to society out of news attention compared with other crime agencies such as the police and the courts

Prisons are responsible institutions that keep individuals who have committed crimes out of society. They have been placed in prison as a punishment for their actions. Their crimes can vary for example from theft to assault to murder. As a consequence of their actions by being placed into a prison it is hoped that the person is rehabilitated and therefore once released if ever from prison will be deterred from re-offending. 

Therefore it is rather simple to understand the purpose of a prison and what it hopes to accomplish but the bigger problem is to uncover why prisons do not receive as much media attention and the consequences that this may create for prisons. With such a lack of media focus people get the incorrect perception about prisons and therefore believe the stereotypes that are created about prisons.

Some of the reasons why the media do not report on prisons is because of the lack of newsworthiness (Jewkes, 2004) that prisons have. Prisons are not that exciting as they involve routine of the same thing everyday. Even if the media did want to report on prisons, access is very limited to the media as prisons are usually a closed institution.

The problem with this lack of media attention is that although actual prison stories are not being reported, prison television shows like prison break, America’s hardest prisoners and prison movies like Shawshank Redemption are creating a misperception that may be misleading or provide only a fictional or exaggerated side of what a real prison and prisoners may be like.

While prison stories are limited I was able to come across one story relating to prison and the infamous serial killer Ivan Milat. The article talks about the conditions of prison as it states “Supermax, with its stainless steel walls and clinical surfaces, looks as much intensive care ward as prison”. This creates a description of what the prison looks like. In addition the author reveals “the current facility has 146 cameras and 40 alarms” reinforcing that prisons have high security and that society is safe from these criminals who are locked up in supermax prison. Furthermore Robert Lang a prisoner, who has done nine years, said the “guards were not there to belittle inmates” redirecting away from the stereotype that guards bash prisoners

In summary prisons I believe will always be less reported then other crime agencies like the police or courts. However I do think that the media should try incorporate more stories about prison life because I think people do have a general interest in the prison system and prisoners which is evident through how popular shows like Priosn break and America’s hardest prisoners are.

Reference List

Jewkes, Y, (2004), ‘Media and Crime’, Sage Publications, London

 Daily Telegraph -Inside Ivan Milat jail - the lowest circle of hell

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/national/inside-ivan-milat-jail-the-lowest-circle-of-hell/story-e6freuzr-1225925693066

Lecture 5 of Crime, Politics and the Media (CRIM2027)