Media coverage could skew perceptions

If perception is reality, then crime in Columbia is rampant.

Tribune file photo

Boone County sheriff’s officers photograph a crime scene where one victim was shot July 23, 2010, at the Boone County Fairgrounds. Multiple shots were fired, and one victim was taken to University Hospital after suffering a gunshot wound to the buttocks. Witnesses on the scene reported a group of 10 to 15 individuals involved in a fight, which led to the gun shots being fired.

That's what many residents — and some in Columbia's neighboring counties — believe.

Whether they rarely visit Columbia or call it home, people's opinions of life here are, at times, shaped by those who say they can be trusted the most. Local media outlets give readers and viewers the stories they think are most worthy of attention. But coverage styles differ, as do perceptions about Columbia's crime rates.

Soon after his election in 2010, Mayor Bob McDavid remembers being approached by two participants at a Central Missouri mayors' conference. The pair of small-town leaders said they perceived Columbia as a dangerous city; they had seen persistent media reports of burglaries, robberies, thefts and assaults. They asked McDavid how the situation got so bad.

"Are they seeing bigger-city problems they don't see in their smaller towns? I don't know," McDavid said. "But when it's your community they are talking about, you start looking for answers."

Crime in Columbia increased by 10.4 percent between 2001 and 2010 — not a significant spike when considering the city's population grew 28.4 percent and the economy tanked.

Crime rose again last year, mostly in terms of thefts and larcenies. That's partly because Columbia is a retail hub, attracting would-be shoplifters from surrounding communities, Columbia police Chief Ken Burton said. But violent crimes last year totaled 417 reported incidents, down from the 2007 peak, when 476 incidents were reported.

A recent string of gunfire incidents put residents on alert, but Burton stressed only a handful of residents were responsible for the stir.

While eating at Kentucky Fried Chicken with his son recently, David Petersheim said he couldn't help but wonder how safe they were across the street from the Chucky E. Cheese's restaurant where shots were fired last month.

He typically doesn't think about crime until he watches the news or reads reports about robberies and shootings — then his guard goes up.

Media influence his perception of crime in Columbia, he said, though he's not sure why.

"I know they blow everything the crap out of proportion," he said. "That's the weird part."

Kevin Roberts moved from Columbia to Ashland three years ago and is happy to make the drive. He said he's like many Ashland residents who enjoy their small town because it feels safe.

"I leave my doors unlocked during two-week vacations," he said. "You can't do that in Columbia."

Columbia is a small and oversaturated media market because of the multiple news stations, newspapers, radio stations and hundreds of University of Missouri journalism students requesting interviews as class assignments, Burton said.

"Our citizens are bombarded with it," Burton said, referring to crime coverage. "It tends to make them think it's a crime wave."

The coverage might be to blame for Columbia's lower-than-average satisfaction with police protection. About 69 percent of residents surveyed last year were satisfied with the protection Columbia police provide — 6 percent lower than the Missouri average and 4 percent lower than the national average.

McDavid said he was alarmed when he met recently with the president of the MU Student Association, who was worried about burglaries around East Campus. Students might hear about an incident in their neighborhoods, but when they're reminded of crime every time it's reported, McDavid fears the city could get a bad reputation among families of MU students.

"It's extremely important that students feel safe and parents feel safe when they send their kids here," he said. "If a student representative feels it's important enough to bring to my attention, I'm concerned."

In newsrooms across the country, editors and directors meet every day to determine what events deserve the attention of readers and viewers. Decisions to place stories on the front page of a newspaper or at the top of a broadcast hour are weighed differently at each news organization, said Stephanie Craft, an associate journalism professor at MU.

"It's well-established that the stories the media highlight set the agenda for public opinion," she said. "When you poll the public, the response is the content analysis of what the media tells you."

Couch potatoes are more at risk of perceiving the world as a violent place, Craft said. It's called the "mean world syndrome," a phenomenon in which violence-related media content convinces viewers the world is more dangerous than it is.

If TV can influence people's fashion decisions and what they buy at the grocery store, it also can influence how they view downtown Columbia after a broadcast about a shooting, Craft said.

An International Communication Association study in 2003 warned that local news broadcasts rely heavily on sensational coverage of crime and other mayhem, and that coverage increases fears. But crime-oriented coverage also finds success among viewers. And when that happens, it's hard to argue broadcasters shouldn't give people what they want, Craft said.

That's why she hesitates to point the finger solely at media.

"Their operation makes financial sense," she said. "People choose to watch it. They bear some of the responsibility, too. People should be literate about media and know how news is made."

The old slogan "if it bleeds, it leads" isn't always applicable: Political, community and government stories draw priority, too.

In the Central Missouri TV market — where KOMU, KMIZ and KRCG compete — a good school or government story about taxes fares just as well, said Stacey Woelfel, KOMU's news director.

"If it's unusual or shocking enough, we'll lead with it," he said.

Woelfel used the Steven Rios case as an example of a crime story shocking enough to merit major coverage. Rios was a former Columbia police officer convicted in 2008 of murdering a 23-year-old MU student.

"Viewer interest goes high on that," he said. "When viewer interest is so high, you put resources into it."

Stories that affect people's lives draw viewers, and people are capable of discerning whether they're affected, Woelfel said. Many crime stories, for instance, involve drugs. Viewers who recognize they won't be robbed or assaulted during a drug deal because they don't do drugs want more substance in their news, he said.

But those cases can generate wider interest when they have shocking details, and those are the stories that rise to the top of KOMU newscasts.

"Sure, there are assaults and strong-arm robberies," Woelfel said. "I can't say we never lead with it, but unless you are the robber or victim, you are not affected by it. That's not a threat to people in their comfortable homes. We try to focus on public safety."

When it comes to reporting stories based on police department news releases about arrests or criminal activity, "it looks like something people should care about," Woelfel said. But "I like public policy stories. I know they take more time and effort, but they perform just as well."

KMIZ, on the other hand, prioritizes weather and crime in its broadcasts. The station made the decision to take that approach about four years ago, News Director Curtis Varns said.

He has heard criticism about the station's crime focus, but he contends viewers recognize the depth of reporting and that its coverage ties to a common theme and focus.

The economy, he said, has wedged its way into editorial decisions in a station trying to stay competitive.

"You will probably recognize what we won't cover," Varns said. "Not that we are looking for any particular angle. Over time, we have come to understand what people consider news. People understand the news value" of crime.

At the Tribune, crime news has to be major before it gets front-page placement, Managing Editor Jim Robertson said.

"I've always been sensitive to the fact of presenting perspective with crime news," he said. "Not overselling it. That's why we don't get a lot of lesser crime stuff in prominent positions."

At the same time, people are interested in crime news, Robertson said. "So you don't want to underreport it, but you don't want to over-report it, either."

Regardless of placement, arrest reports are one of the best-read features in the newspaper, he said.

"It's our job to report crime, and it's our readers' job to react," he said. "If they are holding city government's feet to the fire" on crime rates, "then so be it."

Sometimes solving crimes requires police to "use the media smartly," Burton said. That means knowing when to keep information under wraps and when to make it public, he said.

Take gang activity. For decades, Columbia police denied gangs were in Columbia.

Then, in 2010, police acknowledged gang members were believed to be feuding with a local family after a number of gunfire incidents, including one during which an 18-year-old Kansas City man was shot at the Boone County Fair.

Sgt. Jill Schlude, a longtime officer turned police spokeswoman, said she doesn't recall why the department did not talk about gang activity, but it was a known directive. The department now is more upfront about gangs while also trying to not unnecessarily scare people who might see gang-related violence from larger cities on television.

"You cannot just throw that word out there and not give it any context," Schlude said. "I think that was the hesitation on the part of the previous administration. They didn't want the public going 'Oh my God, we've got gangs' and have everybody living in fear because that's not what it is."

Loosely organized groups of young people in Columbia meet the statutory definition of a gang, but they aren't the strongly organized groups found in larger cities, she said.

Police do not name gangs, however, because they don't want to give them street credibility, Schlude noted.

So far, she thinks the media have done a good job of reporting on gang activity.

"My fear was we'd go from zero to 60, and all of a sudden, everybody assumes we're living in south-central Los Angeles, and we're not," Schlude said. "The media has done a good job of balancing it, and" there's "a lot of recognition by the media that we're talking about younger kids with lower levels of organization."

The police department also has made some organizational changes referred to as "proactive patrol." That's not a new unit; rather, officers and units are just rearranged to patrol certain neighborhoods, Schlude said.

Part of the tactic involves sending media regular reports of all arrests made, no matter how insignificant the crime might seem.

Schlude said that public relations effort was in response to daily requests for arrest information from KMIZ and, to lesser extents, KOMU and local newspapers.

"I think, in the end, the communication is good," she said. "We definitely want the public to know we take it seriously and we're out there doing something. So it meets two purposes: trying to let people know and trying to be responsive to media requests."

Reach Brennan David at 573-815-1718 or e-mail bpdavid@columbiatribune.com.

Copyright 2012 Columbia Tribune. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. This article was published on page D4 of the Sunday, March 11, 2012 edition of The Columbia Daily Tribune with the headline "CRIME IN COLUMBIA: " Click here to Subscribe.

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The Media and Crime

Journalism and crime maintain an interesting relationship. Each relies on the other to survive and, in some cases, thrive. Media organizations regularly report on crime and often maintain dedicated "beats" or circuits that a particular journalist would be responsible for, such as the courts. Criminals on the other hand use the media for their own purposes as well. In some cases, criminals may be trying to get publicity, either for themselves or a specific cause. In other cases they may use the media to taunt the police. What cannot be denied is the relationship between the two. Yet, how is that relationship to be defined? What laws govern it and where does one, either the journalist or the criminal, draw the line?

Among the dynamic's various manifestations is the journalist's source. For as long as journalism has been a profession journalists have had to rely on "anonymous" tips from people for their information. These sources have been integral to the uncovering of a variety of crimes and sometimes, if not often, these people have been criminals themselves. Essentially, journalistic sources are no less different in role or function than police informants and as such, they are often accorded the same degree of protection by the media as an informant would be accorded by the police. This is all well and good as this system helps to encourage people to speak out without fear of persecution and we would probably see many more crimes and scandals simply swept under the carpet if not for it. However, there is another side to the coin which brings me to the crux of my discussion here. When, in fact, does this marriage of convenience between journalist and criminal break the rules? When does journalistic integrity become lost?

With the FIFA World Cup fast approaching this year, the media has been inundated with stories that have sought to highlight, sensationalise or refute the issue of crime in South Africa. There is has been one recent case in particular that has caught the public's attention though. e.TV, a South African broadcaster, aired a news segment on the attitudes of local criminals to the tougher police stance on crime as well as any possible criminal opportunities during the World Cup. The two interviewed criminals vowed to continue perpetrating violent crime on people during the showpiece event with particular attention being given to foreign tourists. They also showed contempt for the police's hard new approach and vowed to shoot any officers attempting to arrest them. The segment sparked an outcry with the police demanding that e.TV hand over the identities of the criminals interviewed. The station refused to do so and two journalists have now been subpoenaed to reveal their sources. The journalists claim that they cannot disclose the identities of their sources as it would compromise their journalistic integrity. Strictly speaking, this seems a fair point to make, but soon fades as the situation gets further complicated.

On Tuesday, the 19th of January 2010, the police found a body with a suicide note and biographical information on one of the e.TV journalists. The man had been poisoned. The note as well as the biographical information has led the police to allege that the body is in fact one of the interviewed criminals. According to unconfirmed radio reports on the day, the man allegedly blamed e.TV for ruining his life and decided to end it and this is where issues of journalistic integrity become more complicated for me. Was e.TV right to protect their sources? My answer is yes. However, what of the decision to air such a segment in the first place? I have to say no. It was a bad decision. Such a segment only served to sensationalise the realities of crime in South Africa. It was pure TV in that the only good it did was possibly increasing the station's ratings. However, the segment ended up turning the police against the station not to mention public opinion. Finally, it led to the unnecessary death of a human being.

Essentially, this man, though criminal he may be, was sacrificed on the media alter of hits, ratings and sales and that is the very anti-thesis of journalist integrity. We in the media are encouraged to use all elements of society, be they criminal or not, to pursue stories for the greater good of the public and so we should. However, when that line gets blurred in the pursuit of sensationalism and money we have to ask ourselves, what line am I willing to cross and, more importantly, who will get hurt by this story. There are very few stories worth sacrificing lives for and this was not one of them.

Claudio Caldeira is the Head Editor of Crime Out Loud.

Crime Out Loud is a community based website in which we invite the public to express their experiences with crime. Our intention is to raise awareness levels and we're committed to making a difference in the battle against crime.

http://www.crimeoutloud.com

Attitude of Media and Government Toward Youth Crime

Youth crime in England and Wales is quite a popular but controversial topic in media as the headline grabbing terms like "yob" and "ASBO" appear with regular frequency. A child in England and Wales is anyone under the age of 18 as defined by law, while a young offender is anyone convicted of an offence between the age of 10 and 20. Most of the reported crime in media relating to young offenders involves "anti-social behavior, violence, and sometimes even just kids hanging out in large groups on the street." It is abundantly clear than not all offences committed by young offenders are of very serious nature even as the media has a tendency to sensationalize offences committed by them. According to data compiled by Crimeinfo it appears that a majority of crimes committed by young men and women are not of a very serious nature: "Theft, handling stolen goods, burglary, fraud or forgery and criminal damage make up more than 68% of youth crime; Almost eight in ten of the incidents self-reported in a 2004 survey were not of a serious nature. The most common offences were non-injury assaults (28%); the selling of non Class A substances (19%) and thefts from the workplace or from school (16%); When violent incidents do occur, many don't involve injury and are often committed on the 'spur of the moment' against someone the young person knows. This often means a fight (maybe between friends) and usually takes place near home in the afternoon time; At the end of December 2005 more children were in prison for robbery than any other offence; Despite media attention on violent offending, few cautions or convictions relate to violence".

The British government aims for every child whatever their background or circumstances to offer them the support they need to be healthy and safe; enjoy and achieve; make a positive contribution; and achieve economic well being. In March 2005, the first children's commissioner for England was appointed. The commissioner was entrusted with the task of "gathering and putting forward the views of the most vulnerable children and young people in society, and will promote their involvement in the work of organizations whose" In November 2000, Children's fund was launched to tackle disadvantage among children and young people. Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships funded by the Home Office aims at the reduction in crime. A number of other programs like Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships, the Prolific and Other Priority Offenders Strategy, Local Area Agreements, Neighborhood Policing etc. are being run. In March 2006, the Youth Justice Board published Youth Resettlement - A Framework for Action. This framework focuses on a number of areas and highlights issues specific to the youth context. The areas covered by the framework are: Case management and transitions; Accommodation; Education, training and employment; Health; Substance Misuse; Families; Finance, Benefits and Debt.

Paul Omajo Omaji has strongly favored the case for restorative justice in place of retributive justice system which according to him is traditional and outdated. The tradition justice systems have failed to deliver, according to him, therefore a radical transformation in the justice delivery system in partnership with local agencies might be needed.

Recently the government has introduced a range of intervention measures to check crime in the first place. These and similar other programs are aimed at a wider population of children at risk. These include:

Sure Start: aiming to improve the health and well being of families with children up to the age of 4 in the first place ensuring they are ready to flourish when they go to school.

On Track: is a small initiative aimed at older children who have been identified as at risk of getting involved in a crime.

Communities That Care: is an evidence based prevention program run by communities in partnership with local agencies.

Youth Inclusion Program (YIP) targets 50 of the most 'at risk' or 'most disaffected' 13 to 16 year olds in the most deprived neighborhoods.

Safer Schools Partnerships (SSPs): place police officers in schools to reduce truancy, crime and victimization among young people, challenge unacceptable behavior, and provide a safe and secure learning environment, and

Youth Inclusion and Support Panels (YISPs): are multi agency panels set up by the Youth Justice Board to target children at risk of offending and those starting to offend.

David Farrington, Professor of Psychological Criminology at CambridgeUniversity, discusses a program that has been highly successful in America that could also be applied in Britain. The program he speaks of is Communities that Care program aimed at reducing antisocial behavior among young people. It has been devised by researchers at the University of Washington, Seattle. It can be easily adapted in the United Kingdom for its flexibility and systematic approach. It is known as 'a risk and protection focused program', based on a social development strategy that can be tailored to the specific needs of a neighborhood, district or city. Its features include:

Community mobilization: key leaders together with a management board consisting of representatives from local agencies and the community work in close coordination. The board arranges a detailed assessment of local risks and resources and formulates an action plan.

Implementation: implementing techniques from a menu of strategies that research has shown to be effective, is aimed at addressing priority risk and protection factors

Evaluation: detailed monitoring is an inherent part of the program so as to evaluate program's progress and effectiveness.

There are mentoring programs with the potential to be quite successful, but are unfortunately languishing for funds. One such project aimed at reducing the risk of criminal behavior amongst young people in Cambridgeshire. "The plea for financial support from CSV Cambridge Mentors and Peers comes in the wake of national acclaim for one of its sister projects in Essex which was featured recently in The Independent newspaper and BBC1's Breakfast news program. Both projects, plus a third one in Bedford aim to reduce the risk of criminal behavior amongst young people"

The research at the University of Luton Vauxhall, Centre for the Study of Crime has shown distinct positive impact that volunteer mentoring projects involving young offenders can lead to: "a reduction in offending behavior, a reduction in problems at school and an improvement in young people's confidence, self-esteem and self-awareness. The young people involved highlight the significant value of the 'volunteer mentor' role - they say they value the friendship, trust, guidance and encouragement of the volunteer." The editorial of The Independent has spoken eloquently about the mentoring schemes for young people. Its editorial says, "The Mentor and Peers (MAP) project, run by the Community Service Volunteers charity, is interesting because it aims to avoid the error of similar schemes: waiting for young people to fall foul of the law before offering them guidance".

CSV Cambridgeshire Mentors and Peers was established in 2002. It expanded and grew to recruit and train 18 dedicated and enthusiastic volunteers that made a huge difference to the lives of young people in Cambridge and the surrounding areas. "Research shows how volunteers can help in the fight against crime in the UK, indicating that volunteering has an effect on reducing - and even preventing - crime. Unfortunately, in spite of its success and support from the local Youth Offending Service, CSV Cambridgeshire Mentors and Peers will no longer be able to offer mentoring to local young people due to a lack of funding."

The government programs have not all been very successful. The Sure Start program was expected to be highly successful, but the evaluation's interim findings were not quite encouraging. On Track Program is successful to the extent of reaching the high risk families in the deprived areas, use of these services is lower than anticipated. However, the program is being viewed favorably among parents and children where they are used. This program runs the risk of stigmatizing the very children and families it intends to help, since it is an individual rather than area based study. An alternative model borrowed from the US, the Communities That Care, is now being rolled out in UK. The other government initiatives have also shown at best the mixed results. The Youth Inclusion Program aimed at 10 hours of intervention per person per week, but in practice very few young people ( less than 10 percent) achieved this level of attendance. SSP programs have shown a robust success in terms of reduced truancy, and improved exam pass rates. According to an assessment of offending data in three schools that adopted SSP model of a full time police officer plus support team, a before and after study found that 139 offences were prevented annually.

Another crucial initiative, Every Child Matters, is in response to the tragic death of Victoria Climbie in 2002, who was persistently abused, tortured and murdered by her own relative. The government responded by initiating a public inquiry that subsequently published a consultation document 'Every Child Matters' (DfES 2003). It offers a new initiative on securing the well being of children and young people up to the age of 19. It ensures intervention reaches children before the crisis point.

Until recently due to limited empirical evidence, evaluation of youth crime program was restricted to two main programs- Dalston Youth Project (DYP) and CHANCE. Another program Youth At Risk (YAR) gained publicity but it has not been subject to independent published research. The DYP runs programs for 11-14 year olds and 15-18 year-olds, the disaffected youths from one of the most deprived boroughs in England and Wales. Research on the older age group suggests some possible impact on self-reported offending and truancy (though not drug use). DYP worked successfully with about half those involved. However, about half did not engage with the project in any meaningful way. The overall impact on offending behavior was disappointing and gains in other areas such as behavior, attitudes and learning were modest.

CHANCE was another significant UK mentoring program established in 1996 to work with primary school children with behavioral problems. Since the evaluation was extremely small scale with very limited number of children. Another significant study in the UK evaluated 10 mentoring programs focusing on highly disadvantaged young people. The study found crucial and significant impacts of mentoring in the lives of disaffected young people in context of engagement with education, training and employment.

Youth crime is a sensitive topic in the western world. Although available data on youth offenses indicate a decline in crimes committed by the young people in age group 12-30 over the last decade and a half, some experts are of the opinion that the data needs to be examined carefully. Media and politics too have debated enthusiastically on the youth crime losing the focus on the topic. While politicians and people by and large displayed a knee-jerk reaction to youth offending by favoring harsher punitive measures, a number of studies have gone on to point that there is little understanding and appreciation of youth offending among the masses. The studies have pointed that a majority of the youth offences are in the nature of minor offences or even childhood pranks.

However, the researches on the topic have identified a number of risk factor associated with youth offences that almost makes it predictable. Therefore, it is now almost unanimously contended that approaches that deal with early intervention in offence prevention can be quite successful, while the traditional approaches of punitive, penal and retributive justice not only entail a huge cost to the exchequer but hardly account for reduction in offences. The government and the voluntary agencies run a number of programs aimed at identifying the risk group among the population and intervening in a timely manner. Earlier, quite a few case studies came to light that further reinforces the faith in early intervention approaches. The programs have shown a mixed result largely due to the apathy of the target groups. Some of the programs based on community and neighborhood approaches have shown better results.

I am an accredited freelance writer with 19 years of work experience. I write on diverse topics yet I have special interest in spirituality, self-improvement and new age issues. Thank you for stopping by.

http://hubpages.com/hub/Youth-and-Crime

Crime and the Media - Where is the Truth?

The media and crime have an interesting relationship. These days, it's hard to turn on the news without hearing about some crime happening somewhere. In fact, there are even reporters assigned to cover certain courts or police departments to report on the latest crimes. It is well known that the publicity surrounding certain crimes or court cases can even spur a rash of "copycat crimes." In addition to crimes that are reported on in the news and in the paper, there are also plenty of TV shows about crimes. From the TV show "COPS" to the investigative drama series "CSI," it's clear that crime makes for entertaining TV. Do we actually love violence? If the media is any indication, we do!

If you watch the news, you've probably noticed that crimes are happening everywhere, in every city. Sensational headlines make for good TV and sell thousands of newspapers, but is so much coverage of crimes on TV serving to desensitize us to the truth, so that we no longer question why crimes are occurring all around us and have come to believe that it's just part of normal daily life?

Is the violence on TV just harmless entertainment? That question remains controversial. Some psychologists even think that such shows are playing a role in increasing violence in the real world. Not only are there copycat crimes influenced by what is shown, but more and more people are watching violence and crime on TV and become to think of it as normal and commonplace. There are currently many studies being done on whether exposure to media violence, whether it's the nightly news or a violent video game, can increase aggression and violence in young people.

Whether you watch the nightly news show, or sit down to watch a crime-scene drama, you aren't getting a realistic picture of how crimes occur. All too often, these shows highlight what's been done to catch the bad guy. If all of your knowledge of crime comes from the media, you might believe that perpetrators of every crime are quickly caught using high-tech DNA testing and other technologies, but this is far from the case. In fact, if you are attacked on the street and there are no leads, there is a good possibility that the perpetrator will never be caught. That's something that no TV show will ever tell you. Never do you see the stress and anxiety faced by the victims of these crimes for months, years, and even a lifetime following a violent crime.

No matter its exact effect, it is doubtless that crime in the media affects our mindset. Consider the college student carrying pepper spray after listening to a news clip about a recent rash of crime on campus, or the housewife who avoids shopping alone at night because of a recent string of carjackings. This response is certainly understandable. The media constantly publicizes the "bad" news of the day, making it seems as if crime is on the rise across the board. Whether this is true or not, it certainly serves as a powerful reminder that crime does exist, and that we must be prepared for it, lest we become the next victim mourned on the local news.

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Kids and Crime - Epidemic Proportions Or Media Hype?

Crime in the USA; it is all over the news these days. You cannot open a newspaper, watch television or listen to the radio without hearing shocking stories of sensational crimes taking place all over the country. According to the reports, many of these crimes are being committed by children.

As a consultant in the security industry, I have readily gotten caught up in all the hoopla surrounding the increase in violence and crime in this country. I hate to say it, but the truth is that crime is good for my business and any outbreak or measurable increase in crime helps to sell more security systems.

In doing research for this article, I came across some shocking and very surprising statistics on juvenile crime.

The following statistics are all taken from the 2006 National Report of Juvenile Offenders and Victims prepared by the U.S. Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP). According to the report, currently 1 in 4 residents of the United States are under 18 years old.

o Juvenile Courts handled 1.6 million delinquency cases in 2002 - up from 1.1 million in 1985.

o The age at which most murder victims are likely to be killed is 16 years old, regardless of gender.

o The number of youths under the age of 18 being held in adult jails quadrupled between 1990 and 1999.

o Over 8% of 17 year olds reported to have been in a gang, 16% have sold drugs and 16% have carried a handgun.

o The proportion of females entering the juvenile justice system for violent crimes has increased by 31% since the mid 90's.

o 5 in 100 high school students stayed at home at least once in the past month due to fear of a school related crime.

That certainly sounds like a juvenile crime epidemic to me.

Remember what I told you before I presented you with the shocking statistics? Crime is good for my business.

Right now, I probably have you right were I want. You are thinking that juvenile crime is rampant and raging out of control, right?

As a shocking reminder that people's perceptions of the truth can be completely skewed by the way the national media presents news and information, check out the following statistics that seem to fly in the face of what the media would have us believe.

The statistics are taken from the same OJJDP report.

o The number of juvenile homicides in 2002 was 44% below the peak year of 1993, and at its lowest level since the mid 80's.

o In 2002, the number of murders by juveniles dropped to its lowest level since 1984.

o The likelihood of juveniles being murdered in 2002 was the same as in 1966.

o Both male and female students ages 12-18 experienced far fewer crimes of violence and theft in their schools in 2001 than in 1992.

o In 2003, juveniles ages 12-17 were half as likely to be the victim of a violent crime as in 1993.

o Between 1994 and 2002, the number of murders involving a juvenile offender fell 65% to its lowest level since 1984.

o 6% of high school students said they have carried a weapon on school property in the past 30 days-this figure is down from 12% in 1993.

o Illicit drug use by juveniles in 2004 was half that of the early 80's.

Are you surprised? I have to admit that I was actually stunned by some of the statistics found in the OJJDP Report. Those darn statistics really went against the grain of what I had believed and they actually changed the direction of the article I was planning on writing.

John Quincy Adams might have put it best when he said; "Facts are stubborn things; and whatever may be our wishes, our inclinations, or the dictates of our passions, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence."

Fact is defined as something that can be shown to be true, to exist, or to have happened, in other words a fact is not an opinion. Therefore, the statistics provided by the OJJDP report support certain facts. The fact is that the juvenile crime rate in this country is at the lowest level since the early 80's.

Of course, information presented in statistical reports is open to interpretation. Statistics can be taken out of context, skewed, reported or presented in ways that can be used to prove a point.

Take for example, the first statistic that I presented you with: juvenile courts handled 1.6 million delinquency cases in 2002 - up from 1.1 million in 1985.

I used this statement, presented it out of context and grouped it with other carefully picked statistics to make you believe that juvenile crime is out of control.

Now let's consider this statistic which was taken from the same report: the juvenile crime rate in this country is at the lowest level since the early 80's.

When you combine these two seemingly opposing statistics, you will notice an interesting trend. Juvenile crime is at its lowest rate in decades, yet we are currently putting 45% more children through the juvenile justice system than we did in 1985.

What is happening in this country? Have we made it a crime to be young? Are we a society that now punishes children for behavior that was once written off to youthful exuberance? Look back to your childhood. How many stupid stunts did you pull off that would now land you in jail?

Wow, there I go again. Reporting statistics in a way designed to persuade you and shape your opinion.

My point is simply this. You cannot believe everything you see or hear in the media. Just as crime is good for my business, it also sells newspapers and keeps people planted in front of their televisions sitting through endless commercials.

Believe me; you are much better off reading the report yourself and formulating your own opinion. Complete copies of the OJJDP Report are available at http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/ojjdp

I hope this doesn't hurt business!

Roy Stephenson is a Security Consultant with over 21 Years Experience Designing and Installing High End Integrated Security Systems. He is currently the VP of Marketing at http://www.Security-Kits.Com

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