Responsible True Crime? Sensationalism, Armchair Detectives, and Ethics

• In Event: Crime and Justice in "True Crime" Media

Abstract

Public opinion surveys tell us that 84% of respondents consume True Crime through various media (Naseer and Aubin, 2024). While the genre is popular, many have pointed to sensationalism, the potential dangers of ‘armchair detectives’ (vigilante justice), as well as the overall ethics of True Crime. How can we explain our culture’s fascination with True Crime? What might our consumption of True Crime be doing to our collective thinking about crime and the CJ System? Is this fascination a result of our desire to escape the more mundane - if still disturbing - transgressions of everyday life or is it perhaps a reflection of a collective disbelief in various explanations for crime and a return to Puritan explanations of human evil (Doherty, 2022)? Using a detailed survey instrument, we will explore why it’s important to consider media depictions of crime and criminals, particularly, how a culture’s changing relationship to “real life” crime narratives can help us understand the complex role criminality plays in defining a culture. What do they tell us about our perception of society? What do they tell us about how we understand social justice and punishment? What implications might the social construction of crime have on policy?

Authors

• Caroline Comerford, Sacred Heart University / CVC Research & Consulting

• Analisa Gagnon, Sacred Heart University

• Bethany Van Brown, Sacred Heart University