| YOUTH INVOLVEMENT IN CRIME
Language and labels: What language is used to describe youth involved in criminal activities? Adjectives like “delinquent,” “offender,” or “troubled youth” don’t feature in stories. The stories refer to age, sex and occupation mostly. In the case of high-profile stories of perpetrators or victims over 18 their names will appear.
Socio demographics don’t impact how individuals in stories are referred to. The only demographic that makes a difference is age, where individuals under the age of 18 are not identified.
Criminalization and Stereotyping: There is little if any evidence in the stories in Barbados, Grenada or St. Vincent and the Grenadines that reporting may contribute to the criminalization of youth by perpetuating stereotypes, associating certain demographics or neighborhoods with criminal behavior. If a crime occurs in a neighborhood this tends to be reported as a statement of fact, not a judgement of the area. Many stories are releases carried from security forces which are fact oriented, deliberate and dispassionate. While this may seem pedantic, it has its place. Care must be taken in the presentation of information so that when cases go to trial there is little space for legal “blowback”. Care too, must be taken to help ensure that cases are not tried in the court of public opinion. Such care also explains why photos, language and other visual or audio cues are used sensitively to not reinforce negative stereotypes. There are times though where photos will capture a scene which may be considered negative e.g. suspects in handcuffs, but that is the truth of what happened at the scene. Representation: How are youth portrayed in accompanying images or videos? The visuals typically are a reasonable reflection of individuals, incidents and the environment they happen in while not being gory or insensitive. A good example of this is seen in the following story where a dead female was found in a village.
i Witness News, May 12, 2022 (St. Vincent & the Grenadines)
42 A Media Analysis of the Coverage of Youth Involvement in Crime and Violence and Trafficking in Persons (June 2021 to June 2023) in the Eastern Caribbean
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