The Demonization of Delinquency: Contesting Media Reporting and Political Rhetoric on Youth Crime

Abstract

Youth crime has historically been depicted as an exponential social problem continually increasing in severity and occurrences (Muncie, 2010; Males, 1996). The extent of political and media focus on youth crime within contemporary society demonstrates this phenomenon continues unabated (Goldson & Muncie, 2015). Debates have emerged questioning the legitimacy of the preoccupation with youth crime and the influence of media and political representations upon public perceptions (Merlo & Benekos, 2017; Ruigrok et al, 2017; Henderson, 2014; Egan et al, 2013; Cohen, 2011). This paper adds to the debate by asking; is the contemporary media and political focus on youth crime justified? To answer this question, the paper initially examines evidence-based research and statistics on the nature and extent of youth crime and explores political and media representations across the last decade for comparative analysis. This leads to a central argument that political and media representations of youth crime is unwarranted, unbalanced and unjustified. Furthermore, the paper provides context of media framing and political strategizing and considers the repercussions within critical analysis of theoretical concepts of; recognition theory (Honneth, 1995), labelling (Becker, 1973) and differential association (Sutherland, 1947), to advance understanding on the disparities between media and political perceptions of youth crime in opposition to societal reality.