Historical And Contemporary Examples Of Moral Panic Criminology Essay

Historical And Contemporary Examples Of Moral Panic Criminology Essay Mods, rockers, teddy boys, Muslims, the Irish, Hoodys, gangster rap, hip hop, raves, ecstasy, Victorian garrotters, muggers, video games, gang culture, the Miners, single mothers, children, benefit scroungers and an infinite more have been victims of moral panics. Fundamentally, the concept of moral panic is a tool that is utilised to maintain the social order. Moral panics are an inaccurate or exaggerated accounts of events that are applied to issues that stand outside of the dominant norms and values of society, in an attempt to shape public opinion about an issue, or a type of individual, or a certain group of people which in turn constructs negative identities and behaviours as being located outside of the moral boundaries. This often results in behaviours being criminalised. It also leads to laws and justice being redefined in the light of a moral panic. The most obvious one in terms of redefining the law is the trial-by-media case of the James Bulger murder by two-ten-year-old boys who through moral panic, shaped opinion which justified and legitimised the age to be tried as an adult be reduced to ten. Drawing first on Stanley Cohens deviancy amplification spiral model I will contextualise moral panic in various contexts to provide evidence that moral panics are nothing new and are still a powerful method for maintaining the social order by stigmatising identities and defining the moral boundaries. On Whitsun bank holiday in the 1960s in Clacton, a journalist observed a minor scuffle between the Mods in their Mo-hair suits and the leather-clad Rockers. However, this minor dispute was a very different event according to the reports the following day that the severity hit filled the headlines of national papers; The Daily Express; Beat Up Town 97 Leather Jacket Arrests, The Daily Mirror; Wild Ones Invade Seaside 97 Arrests, in Belgium; West Side Story on the English Coast as the story took the mass media by storm on a global scale (Cohen, 2002:18). Such deviancy was amplified as what was fast becoming a youth subculture spiralled out of control thus leading to this initial myth becoming a reality providing justification for the negative label attached as these skirmishes turned to riots on the beaches thereby becoming a self-fulfilling prophecy in the media and subsequently saw the subcultural gangs increasing rivalry. Similarly, the 1970s produced moral panics surrounding race and ethnicity as the negative stigma attached to Irishmen began to be linked with terrorism and subsequently treated disproportionately in the media. This occurs today towards Muslims who are the focus of intrigue, suspicion and fear following 9/11 attacks in the U.S.A. This is discursively rooted in the fear of the Other from the early 1970s which defined and constructed a new crime mugging and the falsified criminal identity of mugger which were young black men (Hall, Critcher, Jefferson and Clarke, 1978:74). The headline A Judge Cracks Down on Muggers In City of Fear led Hall et al. to argue that the only actors privy to information are the police, the media and the ventriloquist of a Judge upholding the moral framework thus the primary definers are the first-hand and only eye-witness to the said crime (The Daily Mirror, 26 September, 1972 in Hall et al. 1978:75). In sentencing the three (innocent) black youths to three y ears the judge said it was in the public interest as a deterrent measure. The Daily Mirrors editorial supported this claiming that Judge Hines is right if mugging is not to get out of hand as it has in America, punishment must be sharp and certain. This moral panic justified new policies giving police the right to stop and search young black men without due reason. In protest, this spiralled into riots which justified the moral panic as a reality and legitimised the subsequent disproportionate black male over-representation in prison. Thompson claimed the underlying reason for this false construction was to distract public attention away from Britains serious economic downturn which was said to be on the edge of bankruptcy (Thompson, 1997:46).Thus moral panics became attributed to a condition, episode, person or group of persons emerges to become defined as a threat to societal values and interests (Cohen, 1972:9, cited by Hall et al, 1978:16). The underpinning of moral panic as the articulation of the political, the judicial and the media was toward social control of anything that fell out of alignment with the dominant norms. Britains exceptionally high rate of moral panic is therefore a political and moral programme created to re-regulate social change specific to social pluralism and fragmentation of identity. Furthermore, moral panics are created when a serious national, political or economic issue needs to be masked as in the stereotyping of black youths and more recently Muslims. Trial by media notably increased in the 1980s and 1990s highlighting the enormity of political implications in terms of the Othering of diverse identities, aided by global media moguls like Rupert Murdoch. However, the tensions between enterprise and heritage undermined the extent to which audiences interpret representations of news or entertainment. While many would be happy to disagree, Thompson argues from the right-wing stance the positi ves of The Sun newspaper, which represents white working class Britain, overtly supported the ideologies of the New Right thus manipulating its readers to re-elect the Conservative party until 1997 (Thompson, 1997:47). Parents who act god like with their childrens life underpins parents moral panic of the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) when torn between the damage caused by measles, and the autism said to be inherent in the MMR vaccine. Similarly, moral panic surrounds the human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccination to prevent a type of cervical cancer in women. Anxiety was exacerbated following the death of a fourteen-year-old who health experts say had a major underlying complication. Yet the alternative is allowing a daughter to contract cancer. Whatever stands outside of the dominant norms that define natural, normal and moral is vulnerable to moral panic (Thompson, 1998:72). Homosexuality is no exception and the moral panic surrounding HIV and Aids threw aside all taboos when mediating exaggerated tales that blamed a highly promiscuous gay culture. Prostitutes and drug addicts sharing needles posed an equal threat as by 1995, 75 per cent were infected via heterosexual transmission (World Health Organisation; in Benson, 1997:152). Benson argues that although stigma of HIV and AIDs is prevalent everywhere, in western societies it attaches to a particular stigmatised identity such as an addict, a prostitute or a gay man which is subsequently classified as symbolic by association and not accidental as in other locations such as Africa. Ultimately, it elevated anxieties as the risk of partners being secretly bisexual, unfaithful or gay. These anxieties were imbedded in media portrayals of the disease thereby creating an epidemi c of signification (Treichler, 1987, in Benson, 1997:153). This anxiety was well-founded as by the end of 2008, women represented 50% of the 33.1 million infected adults worldwide (http://www.avert.org/worldstats.htm). Again, moral panic surrounding sexual deviance is not a new phenomenon as syphilis was rife in the Victorian era alongside the Victorian gin drinkers which can be likened to the binge drinkers of today. Drugs also form contemporary moral panics, this time Ecstasy which emanated from the death of Leah Betts, daughter of a police officer. As Daly (1997) reports the campaign that emerged took form in giant posters with a smiling Leah and the words Sorted as well as a picture of Leah on her deathbed. This circulated to all the national press to convey the harms of ecstasy, despite coroners reports claiming ecstasy was not a cause to her death. Soon after, musician Brian Harvey became the scapegoat when claiming he enjoyed Ecstasy which promptly saw to the demise of the musical band East 17. This was despite research by BBCs Horizon team proving that alcohol, tobacco and even aspirin are more dangerous than ecstasy and that if these were rated within the ABC classification, alcohol would become a Class A drug (Horizon, 2008, Ecstasy or Alcohol www.bbc.co.uk). Alcohol underpins moral panics surrounding the Street Rats, as defined by one teenagers description of the Bluewater shopping centres stereotypical drinking, smoking, swearing Hoody (Barkham, The Guardian, 14th May 2005). Britains youth are constantly demonised and alienated by ongoing moral panics that have justified the installation of pigeon alarms in shopping centres which send out a low frequency noise that only the under-25s can hear thus driving youths out of the area, in which they once congregated (Barnett, 2006, in Mooney and Talbot, 2010:49). The demise of youth clubs, recreation centres and prohibition from parks renders young people with nowhere to go. There is no coincidence therefore that moral panic coupled with increasing policing and surveillance has justified the current incarceration of 60,000 children throughout Britain (Goldson and Coles, 2005:1). Alongside stern penalties for the parents of truanting children and antisocial behaviour orders (ASBOs) are the demonization of parents of teenage mothers. The Williams sisters all got pregnant during school, with the first being just twelve (The Evening Standard, 23rd May, 2005). The other two daughters were fourteen and sixteen respectively followed suit and all shared the three bedroom house with their divorced mother who blamed school-based sex education. The moral panic focused on their collective annual receipt of thirty thousand pounds in benefits and absence of financial support from the fathers. Currently in todays society the mediating of moral panics have taken on new forms like TV chat shows such as Jeremy Kyle and Trisha. Ultimately, moral panics are deployed in an attempt to divert attention from the inequalities both structural and material that are inherent within neo-liberal societies such as the UK (Drake, Muncie Westmarland, 2010:27). Thus they target on the less privileged in society and seem to ignore the seemingly untouchable elite members of parliament who are proven to have transcended moral boundaries when stealing tax payers hard-earned money when fiddling their expenses as revealed through much publicised unravelling throughout 2009. In conclusion, the evidence above reveals that moral panics are not a new phenomena as they have been a tool utilised to negatively construct stigmatised identities in conjunction with media and political rhetoric that shapes public opinion, that justifies the subsequent policies that discursively marginalise such social groups to prevent the normalisation of such deviance that would drain society. Many think it is a strange world that prefers children and young people to be cold and no longer wrap up warm to avoid being demonised or arrested for loitering in charge of a Hoody an item of clothing. It is dangerous when making parents gamble on their childrens lives. Nevertheless, when analysing society in relation to moral panic, it just goes to show that the deregulated press are able to write anything about minority groups in society that demonises, targets, punishes and criminalises discursively according to class, race, gender, age, religion and sexuality. Overall it would appear that moral panic is not a new concept; it has been around for centuries with people accepting it as societys aberrant ways. Today we have given it a name, but it does not alter the fact that it is nothing new. Bibliography-Moral Panic is nothing new. Discuss this statement using historical and contemporary examples of moral panic. Word Count 1,843 Barnett, L, 2006 We Are Not Pigeons in the Borehamwood Elstree Times, 9th March, 2006 Benson, S, 1997, The Body, Health and Eating Disorders in Woodward, K. 1997 Identity and Difference, London, Routledge. Cohen, S, 2002, Folk Devils and Moral Panics, 2nd Edition 2002, London, Routledge. Drake, D., Muncie, J. Westmarland, L, 2009, Criminal Justice: Local and Global, Devon, Willan Publishing Goldson, B. Coles, D, 2005, In the Care of the State, London, Inquest. Hall, S., Critcher, C., Jefferson, T., Clarke, J. Roberts, B, 1978, Policing the Crisis: Mugging, the State and Law and Order, London and Basingstoke, Macmillan http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/news/article-18811322-teenage-mothers-on-30000-of-benefits.do http://www.avert.org/worldstats.htm http://www.independent.co.uk/news/ecstasy-and-leah-betts-the-bouncers-tale-1266192.html http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2005/may/14/ukcrime.immigrationpolicy Mooney, G. Talbot, D, 2010 Global Cities, Segregation and Transgression, in Muncie, J., Talbot, D. Walters, R Crime: Local and Global, Devon, Willan Publishing Thompson, K, 1998, Moral Panics, London, Routledge. Treichler, P, 1987, AIDS, Homophobia and Biomedical Discourse: An Epidemic of Signification, Cultural Studies Vol.1, No.43, pp.31-70

City & Guilds Essay

1.1Explain the importance of continually improving knowledge and practice. New ways of working are always being developed so it is wise to attend and provide up-to-date learning opportunities for all staff. Also there can be changes to laws, legislation and policy so it is of great importance to make staff aware of these changes so they can reflect them in their practice. 1.2 Analyse potential barriers to professional development. Potential barriers of professional development can be: Not enough funding and other resources provided by the company. oNot enough staff. Staff can’t be expected to work all their work hours and attend extra training on top, this may cause burn out for the staff and also result in them not taking in as much of the training that they should because they are tired. oFear and lack of confidence in learning to additional learning. oLack of time because due to working lots of hours Worry that staff will gain the extra training and then leave the company oLack of flexible working to take into account the extra learning oLack of IT skills 1.3 Compare the use of different sources and systems of support for professional development Within Holme Farm we use our supervision sessions to discuss professional development. This can also be discussed in a group within our staff meetings. Staff can use the supervision to discuss issues regarding their own personal professional development in private if they wish to do so. Group supervision regarding professional development can be held and this can enable staff to identify other members of staff who have that same learning style as themselves thus enabling them to gain help and support from each other. This is the way personally I like to discuss my professional development. Holme farm staffs are offered access to a wide range of literature to enhance their level of understanding of the young people in our care. This way of learning is not suitable for all so individual and group sessions are offered to staff regarding issues that our young people face. This was of learning is a more direct approach as questions can be asked along the way but the benefits of the written literature is that it can be returned to at any time and re read and reviewed. 1.4 Explain factors to consider when selecting opportunities and activities for keeping knowledge and practice up to date. Appropriately identify what learning opportunities workers need for their continuing professional development. Identifying what learning and development needs each worker has and linking job descriptions and carer specifications to relevant training and development. These need to be based on the learning levels of each worker. As a part of the management team I need to make sure that the time when any training or learning opportunities are to take place that all the shifts are appropriately covered and there is nothing thing going on that could cause the training/learning not to take place. For example around the Christmas and summer period when our young people are not in education and extra activities are taking place. 4.1 Compare models of reflective practice. One model of reflection is the ‘Gibb’s Reflective Cycle. This model is a recognised framework for reflection. The Gibbs model consists of six stages to complete one cycle. The cycle begins with a description of the event, the next stage is to analyse our feelings, third is an evaluation of the experience, the fourth stage is for us to analyse the event to make sense of the experience, fifth stage is a conclusion of what else could have been done and final stage is an action plan to prepare if a similar situation should arise again. The Gibbs model encourages us to reflect as individuals. Kolb’s reflective model is centred around changing of information into knowledge. This takes place after a situation has occurred and it involves reflecting on the experience, gaining a general understanding of the concepts encountered during the experience and then testing these general understandings on a new situation. In this way the knowledge that is gained from a situation is continuously applied and reapplied. The Gibbs model has five stages which enable you to break down what has happened and the fully understand how, why and where changes can be made next time around. Kolb’s cycle only has four parts and these are all based on solid facts and not how you feel and the emotions that run alongside a situation whether it be good or bad. Gibbs cycle takes into account you own personal thoughts and feelings. The language that Kolb’s cycle is written in is quite technical and could be quite hard to  understand, whereas Gibbs cycle is written in simple English and is clear to understand what it is asking. Kolb’s Modle of Reflection 4.2 Explain the importance of reflective practice to improve performance. Reflective practice is important, as reflection enables us to improve skills and learn from experiences. This enables better practice in the future. Reflection allows you identify areas of good and bad practice that you may have experienced or observed. When analysing these experiences it is hoped that you learn and improve skills and knowledge. We use reflection as a tool to learn from experiences so that we can understand and develop our knowledge and skills, it helps us as professionals bridge the gap between theory and practice.

The Scopes Monkey Trial And On Debating The Legality Of...

Natalie Miller Biological Anthropology Dr. Dollar Exam 1 Essay September 8, 2014 Exam 1 Essay Evolution has a long history of being debated as inappropriate to be taught in schools. Many people feel that it is important to learn about Charles Darwin’s Theory of Evolution, but at the same time there are many who refuse to learn about it. In the Scopes Monkey Trial and in the movie Inherit the Wind a trial is going on debating the legality of teaching evolution. Though there are still issues that arise with teaching evolution it is currently accepted more than it is debated against. Evolution is a scientifically tested and proven concept and should be taught in science classes. The biggest argument against evolution is religion. The†¦show more content†¦In both cases the verdict was guilty. Both should have been found innocent not only does the United States Constitution give citizens the right to freedom of speech but also directs in the separation of church and state. This means that religion should not affect laws and court rulings. Teaching evol ution involves scientifically proven theory which means that people should learn about it and then can proceed to make their own decision. Evolution is relative to the study of biological anthropology because it explains how humans and todays primates have become what they are. It reveals connections between the species as well. Genetically apes and humans are similar and this proves that some million years ago humans and apes evolved from the same species. If learning about evolution was outlawed then that would cut out a wide range of subjects humans can learn about themselves. By analyzing all possibilities of the history of the world and how humans and other creatures came to be where they are now people can create a brighter future. Schools today teach evolution as part of the normal science curriculum. This is because today’s society is not as religiously centered as the past. People are more open about different religions and different religious practices. This is not to say that all people are that way but the majority of people are open to learning about evolution. There are still many people who do not believe in evolution and think

What was the social and historical context in which the...

What was the social and historical context in which the juvenile court was created? What has been the fundamental difference between the procedures used in juvenile courts and those employed in criminal (adult) courts? Juvenile Court, authority charged with the disposition of legal actions involving children. One hundred years ago, the Illinois legislature enacted the Illinois Juvenile Court Act (1899 Ill. Laws 132 et seq.), creating the first separate juvenile court. The policy debates raging around the country in this centennial year(1899), however, make it uncertain whether the traditional juvenile court will prevail. Early in the 19th century, juveniles were tried along with adults in criminal courts. In common law, children under†¦show more content†¦In most jurisdictions, there were no transcripts, no formal presentations of evidence, no cross-examination of witnesses, and no right of appeal. The intent of all this was to remove procedural and legal obstacles, so that the court could quickly move in to protect a child in danger. The high court scrapped the informal nature of juvenile justice, one in a series of rulings that ultimately conferred all the same legal rights on juveniles as adults possess (except for the right to a trial by a jury of ones peers, for obvious reas ons). In other words, the unanticipated result of the Supreme Courts Gault decision was to shift the focus of Juvenile Court from the child to the facts of the crime the child committed. Only after the legal issues are dealt with, after many weeks, months, or sometimes years pass, does the court belatedly turn its attention toward what should be done to help a child -- far too late in many cases. The childs rights are protected, but the child is not. And given the fact that most accused juveniles remain free while their cases slowly pass through the system, society is not protected, either. The problems inherent in this shift in focus are now coming to a head as youth violence has reached crisis proportions. In recent years, with juveniles increasingly responsible for major and violent crimes, public sentiment inShow MoreRelated African American Societys Influence2075 Words   |  9 Pagesunderstand the myriad of ways delinquent juveniles are affected by certain policies. Specifically, African Americans are over-represented in the juvenile justice system of Cook County, Chicago. Thus, they are a vulnerable population that is singled out by the system, and this further exacerbates and stigmatizes them. II. Historical Background: Children As Villains In Modern America Until the late 19th century, children were tried in criminal courts with adults. According to common law, theRead MoreJuvenile Detention Centers And Its Impact On Rehabilitation2252 Words   |  10 PagesChapter Two Literature Review Introduction The juvenile justice system in America has been through numerous phases of growth. In recent years, it has endured extensive changes that have taken place as a product of reforms made to revitalize the innovative principle of juvenile justice, the idea of bringing individual justice and treatment to the heart of the system. This assessment of related literature looks particularly at the accessible studies on juvenile detention centers in order to prove the negativeRead MoreStrategies of Youth Justice Policies2036 Words   |  9 Pagespractice with the ideological motivations and identify and evaluate the social and political context. The 1908 Child Act; Children and Young Persons Act, the Criminal Justice Act; Crime and Disorder Act 1998 and Anti-Social Behaviour Act 2003 will be discussed. Youth justice is a creature of historical development. The structure of the industry is full of dominant philosophies which have seeped into the foundations, which still monopolise and govern contemporary practice and although new perspectivesRead MoreCrime and Delinquency Subculture2061 Words   |  9 Pagespatterns surrounding crime and juvenile delinquency. It is created not only by individuals, but as one culture, the American culture. Subculture is derivative of, but different from some larger referential cultures. This term is used to share systems of norms, values, individual, groups and the cultural system itself. Criminal or delinquent subcultures indicate systems of norms, values, or interest that support criminal or delinquent behavior. Thats why many juveniles are linked to the same criminalRead More Criminal and Delinquent Subcultures Essay2034 Words   |  9 Pagespatterns surrounding crime and juvenile delinquency. It is created not only by individuals, but as one culture, the American culture. Subculture is derivative of, but different from some larger referential cultures. This term is used to share systems of norms, values, individual, groups and the cultural system itself. Criminal or delinquent subcultures indicate systems of norms, values, or interest that support criminal or delinquent behavior. That’s why many juveniles are linked to the same criminalRead MoreInternational Conventions On Child Rights3875 Words   |  16 PagesAnalysis of Implementation 7 Child Rights in Indian Courts 8 Conclusion – The Challenges Ahead 9 INTRODUCTION Indian law, policy and practice of child welfare have undergone a significant change from a historical perspective. From customs expecting the wellbeing of children to be based on values and morals, we have evolved to a system where the child is a rights-bearer and a recipient of welfare measures. This is because of the manner in which India has imbibed certain international principles withRead MoreJuvenile Crime Issues in Today’s Criminal Justice System18893 Words   |  76 Pagesrights that may be threatened by technological advances and other developments:  ©  ©  ©  © chapter 15 Juvenile Justice chapter 16 Drugs and Crime chapter 17 Terrorism and Multinational Criminal Justice chapter 18 The Future of Criminal Justice These individual rights must be effectively balanced against these present and emerging community concerns: Widespread drug abuse among youth The threat of juvenile crime Urban gang violence High-technology, computer, and Internet crime (cybercrime) TerrorismRead MoreCjus 230 Final Paper4022 Words   |  17 PagesThe Effects of Family Structure and Values on Juvenile Delinquency Christina M. Bracey 201240 Fall 2012 CJUS 230-B02 LUO Professor DeBoer Liberty University Online October 12, 2012 Abstract The changes in family values and structure in the United States has helped contribute to juvenile delinquency today. Society needs to recognize problems within the home before trying to find solutions to problems for todays at risk youth in America. Major structural changes inside of the home couldRead MoreJails and Prisons Comparison Paper1965 Words   |  8 Pages In considering the jails, as well as state and federal prisons, and in modern America, one must understand the historical contexts in which the three institutions were conceptualized and put into practice. Then a discussion of the reasons behind the drastic recent growth off these three ancient institutions must be had. Finally, a review of the security classifications which enable these facilities to carry out the business of incarceration and rehabilitation in a secure and safe manner shouldRead MoreThe Constitutional Law Is Not The World Constitution2418 Words   |  10 PagesWriting in 1758, Emer de Vattel ex plained: â€Å"The fundamental law which determines the manner in which the public authority is to be exercised is what forms the constitution of the state.† Extrapolating this concept to the international political process, the bulk of the most important norms which regulate political activity and relationships in the global polity could be called an international constitution. However, an international or global constitution cannot be gained by simply scaling up a