Do the media create, enhance or distort the public understanding of crime? Is crime itself influenced by the media? Forensic and social psychologists, criminologists, police, lawyers and other professionals and policymakers in the criminal justice system are increasingly concerned with these issues and the implications for their dealings with the media. Academics and researchers in the fields of cultural and media studies, and communication studies, will also value this serious analysis of the concepts and research evidence in this field. This book is the first systematic, comprehensive account of media and crime that relates real-life crime and real media activity to social and individual implications, from a psychological perspective. It includes consideration of property crime, drug crime, race-related crime, and the growing problem of women's crime, as well as sexual and violent crime. The book establishes the study of media and criminal-legal issues as an important part of academic and professional endeavors to understand crime and society. It is written by a leading academic with longstanding interests and work in this field. - Back cover.