Summary of the News
The news in the area of the State of Ohio was expected to revolve around homicides and car break-ins. The news that was found showed that this statement was partially true. The first piece of news dealt with a guy who shot a woman, her unborn child, her father, and her two younger siblings (17 and 19 years old respectively) and then pleaded guilty in order to escape a possible death sentence (“Suspect in Cleveland slayings pleads guilty, avoids death sentence,” 2017).
Regardless, he was sentenced by the judge to five life sentences due to certain aggravating circumstances and will have no possibility to shorten the jail term or bail out. The second piece of news told us the story of a former bus driver who hit a pedestrian and pleaded not guilty (“Highland Heights woman pleads not guilty in death of Cleveland pedestrian,” 2017). According to the report, she slowed down but it was not enough to evade the accident, and she hit the pedestrian when the latter was in the crosswalk. The former bus driver was charged with aggravated vehicular assault but managed to evade the sentence.
The third piece of news dwelled on an increased number of car break-ins in Vermilion and presented it as a trivial pattern that is not going to develop into a large-scale car break-in streak (“String of car break-ins reported in Vermilion,” 2017). All of the accidents are still under investigation. Several juveniles were seen in the area, but the law enforcement officers did not have any evidence that would help them to identify those juveniles as the offenders.
Influence of the Media on Criminal Justice
It is pivotal to understand that the news became one of the fundamental parts of our life. Therefore, its direct and indirect impact, even if not palpable, majorly influences our perceptions regarding crimes and illicit behavior (Mallicoat, 2016). Overall, the current media has a substantial impact on society and shapes the outlooks of the latter in line with the governmental and criminal justice requirements.
This means that we only see some things in the news that were previously approved to be shown on TV or printed in the newspapers. Nonetheless, the dynamic nature of crime cannot be underestimated, and one has to understand that the majority of contemporary individuals may search the Internet for the latest news and find things that were not intended to be seen by the majority of the public (Marion & Oliver, 2015).
Despite both positive and negative connotations of the decision to conceal some of the data, the government (in association with the law enforcement agency) does a great job managing the data stream that makes it to the headlines. Ultimately, the news is one of the aspects that influence the development of the concept of criminal justice and help the government find weak spots in the legislation.
The Connection between Local Crimes and Crime Control Policies
The connection between the crimes that were committed in the State of Ohio and the crime control policies that were employed by the respective committee is not direct. This happens because the government is mostly concerned with public safety. That is why the law enforcement agency keeps track of the crimes that occur in the State of Ohio and then transmits the information to the committee that is responsible for laws and legislations.
Lately, the activity in the area hints at the fact that a new crime control policy concerning an increased number of car break-ins is required. On a bigger scale, local crimes tend to change the perceptions of the crimes that are committed in the State of Ohio and open the prospects for new projects in the area of crime control policies.
Evaluation of the Influence of Media in the Area
The media in the area does not really influence criminal activity. This supposition is based on the fact that the majority of the crimes that are committed in the State of Ohio (and, most probably, in any other state) tend to go unnoticed by the audience. The reason behind this is not quite clear, but the law enforcement agency does its best in order to share only insignificant pieces of criminal news. Most likely, this happens because they do not want to see a troubled and worried community and expect to reduce the level of anxiety among juveniles and adult wrongdoers.
Based on the information found on the criminal activity in the area of the State of Ohio, it is reasonable to claim that the thesis statement was partially validated as some of the articles actually dwelled on car break-ins. One of the most realistic reasons may be the willingness of the police to cover the serious crimes and calm the unrest among the masses. There is nothing wrong about it because the police reduce the influence of media on the residents of the State of Ohio by concealing some of the data regarding grave crimes. Overall, it can be concluded that the media influence in the area is weak, but it does not bear a negative connotation at all.
References
Highland Heights woman pleads not guilty in death of Cleveland pedestrian. (2017). Web.
Mallicoat, S. (2016). Crime and criminal justice: Concepts and controversies. New York, NY: SAGE.
Marion, N. E., & Oliver, W. (2015). Public policy of crime and criminal justice. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.
String of car break-ins reported in Vermilion. (2017). Web.
Suspect in Cleveland slayings pleads guilty, avoids death sentence. (2017). Web.