Copycat crimes

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Copycat crimes is a hypothesis based on the social learning model that crimes are replicated and inspired by knowledge of similar crimes, especially crimes shown widely in the media. However, to date the evidence for the validity of this hypothesis is inconclusive.^[1]

1 Copycat Effect
2 Research on etiology of copycat crimes
- 2.1 Statistics
3 See also
4 Reference notes
5 External links

[edit] Copycat Effect

The copycat effect refers to the tendency of sensational publicity about violent murders or suicides to result in more of the same through imitation. It is also the name of a book on the subject by Loren Coleman.

Newspapers sometimes avoid glorifying vandalism and other petty crimes because of the copycat effect.

[edit] Research on etiology of copycat crimes

It has been shown that most of the persons who do mimic crimes seen in the media (especially news and crime movies) have in most cases prior criminal records, prior severe mental health problems or histories of violence suggesting that the effect of the media is indirect (more affecting criminal behaviour) rather than direct (directly affecting the number of criminals)^[2]. It has also been seen that there is certain small population of people who are at more risk for harmful media influences than the general audience.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Statistics

United States cities by crime rate

[edit] See also

[edit] Reference notes

^ Learning - Copycat Crimes. Florida State University. Retrieved on 2007-09-13.
^ Surette, R. (2002). Self-Reported Copycat Crime Among a Population of Serious and Violent Juvenile Offenders. Crime & Delinquency, 48(1), 46-69.