October 22, 1999: Volume 47, Number 7

Cases Lower Faith in Justice System: Survey by Prof. Fox

The upsurge in sensational media coverage of high-profile trials and investigations during the 1990s is undermining the country's faith in the criminal justice system, according to a survey by Richard Fox, assistant professor of political science.

Focusing on seven of the decade's most-covered trials and investigations, the survey of 1,000 randomly-chosen Americans finds the cases having an adverse effect on how people view the system.

"Although the media has long been drawn to sensational criminal trials, the attention it devotes to them has increased exponentially in the past decade," said Fox. "Clearly, this phenomenon is having a profound impact – and not a healthy one."

The three most damaging cases – the O.J. Simpson murder trial, JonBenet Ramsey investigation, and Clinton Senate impeachment trial – cause, respectively, 75 percent, 70 percent, and 58 percent of the respondents to have less confidence in American criminal justice.

Only 3 percent and 2 percent respectively have more confidence as a result of the first two cases, the survey finds. And despite the fact that Clinton's Senate trial ratified Americans' overwhelming opposition to his removal from office, only 6 percent of respondents say the trial has bolstered their faith in the system.

Less damaging in their effects but still negative overall are three other high-profile trials – the first trial of the police officers who beat Rodney King, the William Kennedy Smith rape trial, and the Louise Woodward nanny trial. Only the case of the Menendez Brothers, the sole defendants to be convicted and sentenced to long prison terms, brings an increase in confidence among respondents, though a decidedly modest one.

Not only do the seven cases lead people take a dimmer view of American criminal justice in general, the survey finds, but they feel less secure about how the system will treat them personally. Thus, 44 percent of the respondents say they feel less confident that criminal-justice laws will protect their rights.

Next Story >> AAC Minutes Listed