Poster #253 - Victim Worthiness: How Demographics Impact the Search for Missing Children - CANCELLED

• In Event: ASC Poster Session I

Abstract

Crimes against children evoke social outrage and fear. One crime which often terrifies parents is when children go missing. Yet, consistent with other research about crime, race and ethnicity often impacts public safety concerns. A two-semester directed study was conducted focusing on one question. “Does race or ethnicity impact media coverage or police investigations into missing persons cases?”

The study was done by analyzing the research on missing children, investigating organizations such as the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) and critically evaluating law enforcement practices in these cases. The study used the social media platform “Twitter” as a proxy of public awareness of missing children. The research design involved identifying over a thousand Tweets to assess what, if any role, race and ethnicity played in the awareness of missing children's cases. Findings from the study are compared to data from NCMEC reports and other research studies.

Author

• Rory Kimberly O'Connor, Bridgewater State University