The Society and The Media

The society and the media, have over the years, viewed rape as the most heinous type of
crime one could’ve possibly committed. As the years pass, people became more concerned about
sex offenders living among them in their neighborhoods and the threat they pose to people
around them. The rape and murder of 7-year-old Megan Kanka of Hamilton Township in New
Jersey inspired the Megan’s law as her murderer was her neighbor Jesse Timmendequas, a repeat
sex offender (Levenson & Cotter, 2005). A month after the murder, the New Jersey General
Assembly passed a series of bills proposed by Paul Kramer that would require all sex offenders
to register to a database. It is up to the states to decide what information is available and how it
will be dispersed.
While this may seem as an effective way to protect society from these people, many
studies have shown that these laws actually do more harm than good and do not have the
intended and expected effect. Megan’s law is nothing but a “feel good” law. The sex offender
registry and residence restrictions have proven to not be effective. Recidivism rates among sex
offenders do not correlate between those offenders who are registered and those who are not.
Vigilante justice is also an unexpected negative outcome of Megan’s Law with many sex
offenders being seriously vulnerable to harassment and attack. Lack of information given to sex
offenders about registering and following the conditions of the law also makes it hard to follow
and a struggle to adjust to life on the outside after their conviction. Although Megan’s Law was
created with wholesome intentions and to protect the citizens, the unintended consequences its
produces actually reverse the intended effect of the law.
The survey data revealed certain information about Megan’s Law; some of which includes that
television exposure heavily influence how people perceive the Megan’s law. People who are
more exposed to the media are more afraid to get involved in crime because of fear of
victimization (Proctor et al, 2002)
Since Gibb’s article in 1908, the media have become major providers of information about
sexual abuse (Benedict 1992; Best 1993). Like family and peers, the media constitute a major
socializing agent, exposing individuals to cultural scripts of gender, sexuality, and
socioeconomic (Stinson 2010). In an analysis of media influence and public understandings of
sexual violence, Jenny Kitzinger (2004) asserts that the media have become an influential
medium in regard to agenda setting and the creation of new discursive repertoires. Also, through
the process of reporting, news media produce and normalize cultural ideas about what is
important, benign, and criminal. Though it is easy to condense the press into an overarching,
vague, conglomerate, it is important to recognize that journalists are distinct and separate
individuals. Despite this potential plurality, researchers have found consistent and dominant
characteristics in how the media treat and shape our cultural understanding of the sex offender.
In Threatened Children, Joel Best (1990) employs a constructionist approach to analyze the
media’s role in claims-making- referring to the social process of making arguments. Examining
the basis and process of how social problems are presented, he found the mass media to be
especially important. As news media do not simply transmit messages, but translate and
transform them, they are considered secondary claims-makers. These types of claims-makers are
distinguished by their concerted efforts to persuade audiences. Also, Best analyzed the press’s
treatment of threats to children, and these themes’ subsequent adoption into fiction, films, and
popular culture. He found a positive relationship between the two media types and asserted that
media play a central role in the acceptance of attempted media claims. Further, he asserts that
when the press draws public attention to issues, policymakers are more responsive to news
stories about a problem. Lastly, he asserts that media coverage in itself should not be taken for
granted, meaning every topic is important, given the finite space and time in which a particular
medium can cover a topic. Consequently, the press selects stories to publish or air based upon 22
“novelty, drama, or other elements it values” (Best 1990:88).
References
Levenson, J. & Cotter, L. (2005). The Effect of Megan’s Law on Sex Offender Reintegration.
Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice. 21. 49-66. 10.1177/1043986204271676.
Proctor, J.L., Badzinski, D.M., & Johnson, M. (2002). The Impact of Media on Knowledge and
Perceptions of Megan’s Law. Criminal Justice Policy Review, Vol. 13(4), pp. 356 – 379.

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The society and the media, have over the years, viewed rape as the most heinous type of

produces actually reverse the intended effect of the law.

victimization (Proctor et al, 2002)

socializing agent, exposing individuals to cultural scripts of gender, sexuality, and

socioeconomic (Stinson 2010). In an analysis of media influence and public understandings of

“novelty, drama, or other elements it values” (Best 1990:88).

Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice. 21. 49-66. 10.1177/1043986204271676.

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