Cops and crooks - Images of minorities on primetime television

Research regarding the portrayals of minority groups on television has repe atedly indicated that these depictions emphasize negative and stereotypical images. The potential impact of such representations is of singular concer n when the characterizations revolve around issues related to crime and vio lence. To assess the prevalence of this conceivably detrimental relationshi p, this study provides the findings from a systematic, content analysis of primetime television. A two-week sample of primetime television was constru cted for the Fall 1997 season. Police officers and perpetrators appearing o n all fictional programs were examined, with specific attention paid to the race of the character and the aggression involved in the interaction. Mult inomial Logit regression analyses were performed to determine which variabl es significantly predicted televised police use of force. Police were signi ficantly more likely to use excessive force when perpetrators were young ra cial minorities. Implications regarding the portrayals of minority groups o n crime shows are discussed. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights rese rved.