A criminal is someone who has committed a lawbreaking act. Crimes can be against other people or against society in general and there are different degrees of crimes, depending on how serious they are. The most serious offences are known as felonies and include murder, robbery, arson, fraud and drug offenses. Other crimes are misdemeanors and they are less serious, but still punishable by jail time or fines. A third category are infractions which are even less serious than the other two and these might include jaywalking, littering and traffic offenses.
Crime can be a subject for news and documentary programmes and features. For example, you could interview a police officer about their work or visit a prison and find out about life inside. You could also explore how different sociological factors influence crime such as gender, race, religion and early life experiences.
Criminal journalism combines sociology, psychology, biology, philosophy, politics and history to understand why people commit crimes. It can be about greed, power, revenge or sex – all powerful human emotions. Sometimes it reflects wider social issues like corruption, drugs, homelessness and hunger. But it can also be a good story and people want to read about crime. But crime reporters must balance the public’s right to know with ethical considerations, ensuring accuracy, fairness and sensitivity while avoiding sensationalism or prejudice. There is a proven link between the way crime is reported and people’s fear of crime, so it is important that journalists report the facts and do not make crimes appear worse than they really are.
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