Abstract
It is suggested that the reader consider an earlier publication by the same authors with a similar theme: “Perceptions of criminal justice in society” (Dobryninas, A., Dobrynina, M., Česnienė, I., Giedraitis, V., Merkevičius, R. “On Perceptions of Criminal Justice in Society.” Sociologija: Mintis ir veiksmas. 2012. Issue 2. pg. 222–238). This article empirically illustrates how criminal justice principles are used to understand different social groups’ perspectives, what are the similarities and differences between these groups, how the intergroup communications about criminal justice issues form, and so on. The authors analyzed and summarized qualitative data (focus group discussions and semi-structured interviews with Lithuanian criminal justice experts, politicians, journalists, community leaders) and quantitative data (using a Lithuanian representative survey of the population and Lithuanian mass media content analysis), which was collected during 2012–2014. The first chapter is devoted to the social normative perceptions of criminal justice, the second – the economic and political aspects which influenced the understanding of criminal justice in society, and the third chapter – examines the influence of mass media on the Lithuanian Criminal Justice system’s public image. It is concluded that a consensus on the implementation of the principles of criminal justice among different groups is possible only in part. While the needs are the same as the criminal justice system, decisions must be impartial, objective, humane, equal for all, but how to achieve such a consensus of opinions is very divided. The study participants indicated a variety of reasons that impede the achievement of a mutual understanding: financial constraints, lack of inter-institutional cooperation, party or individual interests take precedence over the interests of society, the role of the media and so on. It is also proposed to improve the current situation in the organization and promotion of communication and alignment of interest between different social groups that have to be done in cooperation with the mass media and other governmental and nongovernmental institutions.
 Key words: criminal justice; professional, political and public discourses, mass media.
 
Highlights
Criminal justice (CJ) represents one of the forms of justice
Traces of Western rational metaphysics can be seen in the principles of modern criminal justice, for example, in the works of the authors of those principles, C
According to Beccaria and Bentham, laws are a manifestation of the social contract among members of a society delineating the field of social interests which, in the liberal tradition, is associated with life, freedom and possessions
Summary
Criminal justice (CJ) represents one of the forms of justice. Already since ancient times the concept of justice has been associated with the concepts of harmony, a certain balance between a man and the universe in which physical, biological, psychological, moral, legal, and theological elements appear to be intertwined. The public or “men-onthe-street” discourse is focused on opinions or, more precisely, on stereotyped schemes about order and justice These stereotyped schemes represent both the deep religious beliefs, which are usually not reflected, about purifying the evil through pain (Hulsman) and superficial, diverting need, supported by mass media, for crimes and punishments (Cohen, Young). The surveys sought to explore the emergence of professional criminological discourse accumulating the principles of regulatory and epistemic social sciences, to analyse the role of political ideologies in the development of criminal policy priorities and principles, and to analyse the specific characteristics of CJ public discourse. A methodological scheme of media study is based on the phenomenological sociology theory of signs and symbols in constructing social reality and social knowledge This methodological approach enables “to consider criminal discourse to be homogenous and use quantitative methods on a wide scale ” (Dobryninas, 2001)
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