David IndermaurCrime Research Centre

University of Western Australia

Escaping penal populism:

Media Strategies

Defining the problem

The media do matter There are things we can do to counter or ameliorate the way the media facilitates populist exploitationPopulist benefit means the use of crime and justice for popularity dividend rather than crime reduction or the achievement of justice

 

  Public opinion exists within a dynamic framework dominated by political initiative, the media and special

interest groups.

Responses need to be strategic and work with these existing large

influences.     

A model of the interaction of media, public opinion, special interest groups and political decision makers (adapted from Kennamer, 1992).

Political Decision Makers

ThePublic

TheNews Media

Special interest groups

Political Decision Makers

TheNews Media

Special interest groups

Political Decision Makers

TheNews Media

Special interest groups

engaging the media

Tactic 1

Political Decision Makers

TheNews Media

Special interest groups

Tactic 2engaging policy

makers

Political Decision Makers

TheNews Media

Special interest groups

engaging SIG’sTactic 3

What can be done?

  Provide information     Ensure that the source of funds is made explicit    Demand evaluation research    Name and shame populism   Communicate and share information and

resources    Shift the debate to more meaningful questions    Improve the quality, nature and accessibility of

information to the news media Promote effective alternative policies and

practices

Information Information strategiesstrategies

Providing readily accessible information for the media

Providing information on cost effectiveness of policies

Dialogue with the media to ensure best up-take.

Providing information to the media on SIG claims, legitimacy

Providing information on SIG agenda, membership, interest etc

Asking questions

Challenging implicit assumptions

Asking for evidence

Providing information that raises doubts about the legitimacy of sources of information

Challenging populism

Describing process of populist seduction

Naming and shaming populist tactics

Critiquing crime policy Develop “yellow card”/”red card” system.Publish data demonstrating news coverage versus real crime.

Reframing Reframing

Focus on public safety Demand accountability of all measures Ensure all measures are independently

evaluated Introduce accountability devices – such as

the “Community safety budget”

Developing robust and viable alternative policies

Highlight potentially more productive practicesPromote the development of alternativesContinue to document the costs of imprisonment

Building a resource infrastructure

Building a resource infrastructure

Information, Authority source

Service providers

Media

NGOs

Educators

SIGs

Students

International co-operation

Sentencing project Coalition for sentencing reform Families against mandatory Minimums Rethinking crime and PunishmentNACRO

Communication style

Resonance – acknowledge problem and concern

Assertion and ascendancy rather than defensiveness

Create attractive imagery – hard working, earnest, tough minded motivated toward service and protection – aggressive rationalism

Aggressive rationalism

Attends to the emotional need for actionAttends to the media preference for decisive actionAllows resonance with the frustration felt by the publicAllows speaker to come across as “protector”

Example of aggressive rationalism

Politicians should ‘get real’ in crime debate, Nacro saysNacro has called on politicians to be realistic about the role the courts can play in tackling crime, and cautioned against further eroding the rights of defendants in the rush to see justice done. The call came as the Audit Commission prepared to release a report expected to show a large gap between recorded crime and the numbers of offenders convicted in the courts.

Nacro Chief Executive Paul Cavadino said,

‘No one has an interest in offenders evading justice apart from those who commit the crimes. So we support sensible reforms of the criminal justice system to improve the chance of offenders being caught and convicted.

‘All the evidence shows that it is the fear of getting caught, rather than the fear of punishment, that acts as a deterrent. Improved detection by the police, rather than greater harshness by the courts, is where reforming energies should be aimed.

‘Important as it is to improve the efficiency of the police and courts, this must not be at the expense of innocent people being convicted.

‘For years it has been known that the criminal justice system is a blunt instrument when it comes to tackling crime. We are doomed to disappointment if we expect the courts to deal with every crime and every offender. An efficient court system relies on alternative means of resolving crime – such as mediation and restitution – to be more widely used and available.’

Bringing it together

Need to establish effective organisations and networksNeed to be aware of media processes and avoid “capture” Need to advocate for “Policy buffers’ and other mechanisms to de-politicize crime and justice

Examples of counter statements

Tough on crime, tough on the causes of crime

In the past 10 years we’ve relied more upon the toughness test than the effectiveness test in enacting federal criminal legislation …We have not established nor seriously considered whether these policies have made a difference in rates of crime or the safety of our citizens

Key principles

Attend to the emotional and symbolic levelsLegitimacy and association are vital establish credibility of opinion leadersSubverting the processes of populism through exposing it

Think Global ----- act local