To what extent does the recent concern of ‘knife crime’ only serve to re-emphasise the significance of ‘moral panics’ in relation to criminal activity.

This essay is going to look at the extent to which the recent concern of knife crime only serves to re-emphasise the significance of moral panics in relation to criminal activity. The essay will begin by examining and defining moral panics and looking at the current concerns over knife crime. Then the essay will briefly look at current debates surrounding knife crime and finally the essay will explore how moral panics explain crime and deviance.

A moral panic is a condition, episode, person or group of people which emerges to become defined as a threat to societal values and interest; its nature is presented in a stylized and stereotypical fashion by the mass media. (Cohen, 1972, p. 9)

The term moral panic was developed by Cohen in 1967 and is based on a false or exaggerated idea that some group’s behaviour is deviant and is a menace to society. This concept tried to explain media, political and public response to an episode of teen gang violence in Britain. The term began with Cohen’s study of Mods and Rockers and how a small altercation became a full scale riot in the eyes of the media. Distortion of the events was increased by the use of sensational headlines and dramatic reporting style, especially in the use of words such as `orgy of destruction', `mob' and `siege'. (Murji, p 177, 2001)

Moral panics have several distinctive features which include, panic, anxiety, emotive language and imagery, a media led demonisation of a particular society group, and they are usually short lived. The media, usually led by the press will define a group or a particular act as deviant and focus solely on it to the elimination of almost everything else. (Jewkes, 2004. p64-67)

Moral panics’ are generally fuelled by media coverage of social issues. (Thompson, 1998, p 1-3) and are associated with groups of people whose behaviour is delinquent or deviant and mostly whose behaviour is associated with violence. These groups are unique in that they are identified not only for particular events but as a noticeable social type. Cohen used the term ‘folk devil’ to refer to such groups and they were used as a reminder of what not to be.  

The ‘folk devils’ are seen as a threat to society’s values and is the perfect example of what is wrong within a society. (Cohen, 2002, p 1-3)  

Moral panics would not have a place in society if the media did not play its part in reporting the events. The media exaggerates and distorts events and makes predictions about future events which are likely to be much more dramatic than actual events. (McLaughlin and Muncie, 2001 p124-126) 

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The media, having played a part in constructing a moral panic, may then embark upon a moral crusade against the identified folk devils with the desired outcome being for the media to distort events and use sensational headlines and dramatic styles to their writing to evoke strong feelings from those reading or watching the news.

Moral panics are specifically associated with morality and are expressed as an outrage rather than a fear. Valier, added that moral panics are a political phenomena and that the media did not create the news but only serve to reproduce and prolong dominant coverage ...

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