"A show that proves the worst monsters are real": Media and social media impact on criminal trials and post-conviction guilt as perceived by criminal justice students.

Author

Jennifer Leigh Patterson

ORCID Identifier(s)

0009-0001-0587-5100

Graduation Semester and Year

2023

Language

English

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts in Criminology and Criminal Justice

Department

Criminology and Criminal Justice

First Advisor

James Kelsay

Abstract

This study, using survey data collected in 2022, investigates how consuming true crime media, from media such as podcasts, influences fear and anxiety among criminal justice students. In addition, the relationship between viewing criminal trials in real time and forming opinions different from the sentencing juries is assessed. Results suggest that there is no significant relationship between the consumption of true crime media and fear or anxiety. Moreover, viewing criminal trials in real time does not have a signficant effect on the formation of opinons that differ from criminal juries. Limitations, implications, and directions for future research are discussed.

Keywords

True crime entertainment, Podcasts, Publicized criminal trials, Social media, Criminal investigations

Disciplines

Criminology and Criminal Justice | Legal Studies | Social and Behavioral Sciences

License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-Share Alike 4.0 International License.

Comments

Degree granted by The University of Texas at Arlington

Recommended Citation

Patterson, Jennifer Leigh, ""A show that proves the worst monsters are real": Media and social media impact on criminal trials and post-conviction guilt as perceived by criminal justice students." (2023). Criminology & Criminal Justice Theses. 70.
https://mavmatrix.uta.edu/crcj_theses/70