Depending on where you look, the top rated shows on TV deal with crime and criminal justice. For example, this list from TV.com includes the shows Fringe, Bones, NCIS, Criminal Minds, The Mentalist, CSI: NY, CSI, and Castle all in the top 20!And Neilsen ratings, which vary by week, show that after competition type shows (Dancing with the Stars, American Idol), the top shows are crime shows, including NCIS, NCIS: Los Angeles, The Mentalist, and Body of Proof.
The point is, as demonstrated in the book, that crime is extremely popular on TV. And literally of it is unrealistic and meant not to inform but instead to entertain.
The problem is it creates major misconceptions in viewers about realities of crime and criminal justice things like:
We learn that most crime is violent in nature. False.
We learn that the most dangerous criminals are poor. False.
We learn that street crime is the most dangerous. False.
We learn that most victims are white. False.
We learn that most crimes are solved using forensics. False.
We learn that we have to rely on the law and criminal justice system to protect us. False.
And these misconceptions drive misguided and costly criminal justice policy in the real world.
So, yes, it matters.
