Canadian VS American coverage of crime

It is easy to see that there is a huge difference in how criminal cases are shown in the media between Canada and the USA. In Canada we have law in place to the prohibit certain things from being publish in the media and there is no electronic recording( video cameras) devises to be used in the court room. This is not the same in the US as there is no laws about what can or cannot be shown to the public regarding coverage of criminal cases and have video cameras that broadcast what is happening in there courtrooms nation wide. I believe that we should not allow cameras or recording devices with in our court rooms because what happen in them do not need to be shown or replayed for everyone to watch. It is not our job or responsibility to judge a persons guilt or innocence in criminal cases. When footage form courtrooms is shown to the public it has the potential to drastically affect peoples lives in a negative way. There often is many people involved other than just the person being accused for example the victims, the families of the accused and the victims, and the witnesses  that have been called. The people affected by the crime should be allowed to go through the healing process in the way that they choose to. 

In my opinion that reports of crime cases should attempt to remains as "neutral" as possible with what they present. This allows the viewer to digest the information and formulate there on thoughts of what has taken place rather that just being told how they should think. In class we watch examples of how the Russell Williams was covered by in both the USA and Canada. The Canadian coverage tried to remain as unbiased as they could presenting the information was know in way that did not draw your conclusion in any certain direction and showed respect in the way it was presented. Where as with the coverage in the USA the conclusion was already drawn up for you and they present the information with explicate detail in a manner to believe they way they felt you should. In many ways the American coverage was slanderous of Russell Williams and what he was convicted for. It was also clear that their coverage was made with more of the intent to entertain people rather than inform, it was made out to be a real life horror story for everyone to watch. 
We have the right to know what is generally going on around us but we do not need to know ever detail of the crimes that take place. What is put in the media should be respectful of both the people involved in the crime but also the viewers of the media. Graphic images should such as, Russell Williams wearing woman undergarments,  not be displayed and explicit details should be used with discretion. 

How media effects us

In our everyday lives we are constantly consuming media in many different form form TV shows, to new article, bulid bords, art, and social media sites are just the beginning of examples. Media is created with the intent to make us feel, think, and behave a certain way. With this being said it is explect that over the long term it must affect is in at least a few ways, and in fact there are are many possible negative affects.

Media can cause a peron to generalize what us happening in the world and creat a fear of missing out. Media can cause fear of the world and becomeing a victim of crime. Many people believe that it crime rates are increasing in Canada and that the chance of becomeing a victim of a violent crime is high when in fact it is the exact opposite because of how things are presented in the media. As our accesses to media increases our ability to become addicted to it increases. We learn a lot of what we consider normal from what is prosented in the media, this means that all the media you cosume is violent and has negative veiws towards certain groups of people you accpent it to be the same way in society even if it is not.
You can minimize the negative affects that media has on you by becomeing a critical consumer of media. This means actively asking the who made this, why would they have made this, and why it is being shown to me in this manner. It is important to think about a realize the how the media is makeing us feel think and behave in a certain way.

Colton Harris-Moore the Barefoot Bandit

The legend and myth of the Barefoot Bandit was created by the media's framing of the Colton Harris-Moore's story of his life of crime. The media focuses on the story making it seem that Colton is a boy trying to reclaim his lost child hood in a life of crime even if it was not competently true. It is impossible to tell biased the movie and the 48 hour episode we watched in class as they never included any interview or quotes from Colton himself. The story presented to people solely assumption other people are making about Colton Harris-Moore and his intentions.
The victims of the crimes committed gained a lot of attention and publicity form the hype that they surrounds the legend of the Barefoot Bandit. By claiming to be the most recent victim of the infamous you would most likely make it on the news or in an article. This could make a store or business that no one has heard of into what everyone is talking about. It is possible to assume that people used the blown up persona of the Barefoot Bandit for profit.
The myth of the Barefoot Bandit comes of as a real life comic book of an outlaw. The thought that an eighteen year old boy could evade and make a mocker of the police for such a long period while stealing such noticeable thing such as planes, it is hard to wonder why people including me get sucked into the story with out asking many question of how or why this is being presented. It is to no surprise that there was an out pour of support of as they saw Colton as almost a modern day robin hood. A boy stripped of his childhood attempting to reclaim what he has lost by stealing form the more affluent part of society. 

What makes a good burglar

A good burglar is a professional thief that has taken the time to learn their trade and master the skills required to an outcome to is successful for them. Good burglars must be technically competent, and able to evade the authorities, as well as work with other people such as other burglars or fences (people who buy and resell stolen items). This kind of break and enter is almost never a random event and is carefully planned and thought out. Very rarely a target of a burglary is committed by a person who is not an acquaintance as professional burglars acquire inside information before had to lower the risk of getting caught. Some burglars will steal from a target multiple times because they have already gained inside information, see something of high value, and know the risks involved ahead of time, and know where things are located such as alarms. A burglars much like any other professional criminal will target places that have less public traffic. This is because there are less people to spot them in the act and takes a significantly longer time or someone to respond to any alarm may set off.
It is rear for a good burglar to work alone. So they need to be able to work at people to gain inside information, and to people to buy what they steal so that they can make a profit.
It is not just some random person who becomes a burglars. More often or not a person works under a professional burglar for a period of time so they can learn the tricks of the trade such as picking target, gaining inside information, technical skills such as picking locks, and having fences to sell what they steal to. As the trainee who is often family practices and becomes proficient in the skills required they eventually branch off on their own.

Short and long term impact of being a victim of crime

There are many different ways that being a victim of crime can affect a person both short and long term. Being a victim of crime is experiencing a traumatic event. As with experiencing any sort of traumatic event a person many experience symptoms similar to those of post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and with out appropriate help these symptoms many not go away and can become worse.  The character Harper form the CSI episode we watched in class is a great example of what both the short and longer term impact a person my presented with a person who has experienced a traumatic event such as sexual assault. When we are first introduced to Harper the immediate impact of the assault was apparent. It was clear that she was startled and in a state of shock. As time went on the traumatic experience Harper had gone through continued to effect her because it took a significant amount of time for her to sleep at night and when she did  all lights on, and would ware here running shoes to bed. All the strain that this put on her relationship with her boyfriend at that point of time eventually it's termination. The impacts that this traumatic event had on Harper's effected her ability to function and have a "normal " life. Harper was intentionally reluctant to help with the investigation when new evidence turned up because she did not want to be re-victimized. Re-victimization is when a victim is forced to relive the traumatic event after it has happened such when Harper was giving her statement, and in the hospital when they did the rape kit.

Is school a safe place or not?

School has the potential to be one of the most dangerous places for young people in today's society. The more people you surround yourself with the more likely you will become the victim of crime. With in the Comox Valley the one place that our youth interact with hundreds of people on a daily bases is in a public school. People form the ages ranging roughly from fifteen to twenty five are the most like to commit or become a victim of crime. Around twenty percent of the criminal conviction in Canada are made by people with in the age group of twelve to seventeen, which is only eight percent of the population. So every day our youth go to school they a small highly populated place of an age group know to be more likely to commit crimes. If you think of it schools are notorious places for kids to experience bullying and theft as well as experiment and exchange drugs. According to a survey done by red cross in 2007 forty four percent of kids ages thirteen to fifteen report having bullied someone at least once. So it is fair to say that school has the possibility to be one of the most dangerous places for young people to be in today's society as there is an elevated risk of younger people to be a victim of a crime or to be influence by peers to commit a crime.

Crime Theory

There is no single reason why a person commits a crime. What I believe to be the most common reason why a person commits crime is to meet a perceived need that out ways the consequence of the action. People are willing to do things that they would not regularly do when an important part of life is not being full filled significantly. Every person has both physical such as, food shelter, and a stable living environment and physiological such as feeling of belonging, love, friendship, and connection  needs that need to be meet. Our perception of what is a need and assessment of risk can be skewed by many different thing that our out of our control. Many of these factors have environmental and or biological factors such as mental illness.
 This can apply to the the crime committed in the article link provided bellow. A nurse decided to take advantage of a young woman while she was in an she was in a vulnerable state. He most likely felt that he could meet his sexual needs by having sex with a women who is in a comma and not have any repercussions. The man had a need that he felt needed to be meet and found a way that in his mind did not have much risk involved. 
https://globalnews.ca/news/4926155/arizona-nurse-court-not-guilty-impregnating-patient/