Cops and crooks - Images of minorities on primetime television

Research regarding the portrayals of minority groups on television has repeatedly indicated that these depictions emphasize negative and stereotypical images. The potential impact of such representations is of singular concern when the characterizations revolve around issues related to crime and violence. To assess the prevalence of this conceivably detrimental relationship, this study provides the findings from a systematic, content analysis of primetime television. A two-week sample of primetime television was constructed for the Fall 1997 season. Police officers and perpetrators appearing on all fictional programs were examined, with specific attention paid to the race of the character and the aggression involved in the interaction. Multinomial Logit regression analyses were performed to determine which variables significantly predicted televised police use of force. Police were significantly more likely to use excessive force when perpetrators were young racial minorities. Implications regarding the portrayals of minority groups on crime shows are discussed. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.