Identifying Juvenile Crime Suspects: A Survey of Ohio TV Stations, Newspapers

Abstract

For much of the 20th century, journalists protected the identities of juvenile crime suspects with a traditional sense of paternalism that shielded young offenders from the harsh glare of negative publicity. Newspapers followed the lead of the juvenile court system that generally kept its proceedings confidential-a practice that dates to the late 189Os when the system was conceived as a mechanism for rehabilitating young people who had run afoul of the law.From 1977 to 2003, a string of shootings at public schools across the U.S. thrust the subject of violent juvenile crime into the national consciousness, and with it, called in question the practice of shielding juveniles' identities. The most deadly shooting occurred when 15 students, including the two alleged gunmen, were killed at Columbine High School in Littleton, CoIo. Littleton heads the list of cities that have suffered deadly school violence: Jonesboro, Ark.; Springfield, Ore.; Paducah, Ky.; Edinboro, Pa.; Pearl, Miss.; Miami, FIa.; Santee, Calif.; New Orleans, La. and Red Lion, Pa.These stories raise an interesting dilemma for journalists: should the names of the accused be publicized? Two of the shootings illustrate the point. In the New Orleans case, a teenaged boy was killed and four girls were wounded at a suburban high school in a dispute over drugs in the spring of 2003. The three alleged gunmen, two 17-year-olds and an 18-year old, were all identified in the news reports about the crime.1 Less than a month later, a high school student killed a teacher and then himself in Red Lion, Pa. In news reports of that shooting, the teen gunman was not identified.2 Why is the gunman identified in one story but not the other? Ironically, these high profile cases often mask the journalist's dilemma. It's easy for an individual newspaper to print a child's name when it has already been reported widely as part of a nationwide blitz of news coverage. In such cases, the consequences of one additional story are usually minimal. The journalist's decision is more difficult when the crime takes place in the newspaper or television station's hometown when the impact of the story can be felt immediately.The number of juvenile crimes reported in the United States decreased more than 30 percent from 1992 to 2001. The number of juvenile males who were arrested dropped 37.7 percent during the same period.3 In 1996, midway through that reporting period, the number of violent crimes committed by all ages was the lowest since the federal government began tracking crime statistics 25 years ago.4 The decline masks a significant increase in violent juvenile crime that began in 1985. The number of murders committed byjuveniles doubled between 1980 and 1993, and the murder rate climbed 165 percent among youths between the ages of 14 and 17.5The specific criteria for identifying juvenile suspects in news stories have not been examined in the academic literature to any great degree. Codes of ethics admonish journalists to treat persons with respect and minimize harm.6 Newsroom policies are often unclear as to whether juvenile suspects should be named. Many editors and news directors appear to treat the issue on a case -by-case basis.Literature ReviewThe modern juvenile court system began in Illinois in 1899. Prior to that year, offenders over the age of seven were tried in adult courts and housed in adult jails. Reform-minded progressives envisioned a system patterned after the family courts of the time that would focus on rehabilitating youthful offenders instead of punishing them.7 The proceedings were designed to be non-adversarial, and hearings would be covered in secret to ...hide youthful errors from the full gaze of the public.8 By the 1960s, the public attitudes regarding juvenile crime had begun to change amid a growing frustration over the seriousness of the juvenile offenses being committed. Consequently, more juvenile delinquents were transferred to adult courts, harsher sentences were given to those juveniles convicted of serious crimes and juvenile court proceedings were less likely to be kept confidential. …