Culture in Australia's Criminal Justice System
4) 'Culture is always present – be it in courtrooms or in the mass media. It can be defined in various ways, hidden or highlighted, attributed to some people and not others.’
Critically discuss this proposition in relation to representations of crime and criminals.
Culture is an ever-present element of all societies. The term ‘culture’ has evolved over time and continues to be used to describe various aspects of humanity such as farming, the arts, high society as well as traditions and ideological beliefs amongst different nationalities and social groups. When describing people, culture is best defined as a living manual, of values, ideologies and other characteristics belonging to a society (CLC Materials Book, 2009). During this essay I will attempt to explore the intricacies of Australian culture whilst relating it back to the representations of crime and criminals. In addition, I will discuss the role the media plays in the portrayal of criminality and further examine the effects of culture in the criminal justice system.
Historically Australia has had close links to crime and nationalism, as it was built on a large contingent of British convicts whom were sent to Australia as a form of punishment. Though these convicts did not consider themselves Australians, but gathered together under the British banner and saw Australia as a new, improved Brittain. Free of the social ill and class structure of the mother land. It was not until Australia’s love affair with Ned Kelly, a larrikin bushranger who out smarted police at every turn and was seen to be an ‘Aussie battler’, that Australia had a folk hero to call their own. Many see Ned Kelly as a true Australian and highly culturally significant, in fact more people could name Ned Kelly then our first Prime Minister, Sir Edmond Barton (Tranter, Bruce and Donoghue, 2008) Australian culture is a fairly new concept and can be rather allusive and difficult to highlight in society, however there have been
Critically discuss this proposition in relation to representations of crime and criminals.
Culture is an ever-present element of all societies. The term ‘culture’ has evolved over time and continues to be used to describe various aspects of humanity such as farming, the arts, high society as well as traditions and ideological beliefs amongst different nationalities and social groups. When describing people, culture is best defined as a living manual, of values, ideologies and other characteristics belonging to a society (CLC Materials Book, 2009). During this essay I will attempt to explore the intricacies of Australian culture whilst relating it back to the representations of crime and criminals. In addition, I will discuss the role the media plays in the portrayal of criminality and further examine the effects of culture in the criminal justice system.
Historically Australia has had close links to crime and nationalism, as it was built on a large contingent of British convicts whom were sent to Australia as a form of punishment. Though these convicts did not consider themselves Australians, but gathered together under the British banner and saw Australia as a new, improved Brittain. Free of the social ill and class structure of the mother land. It was not until Australia’s love affair with Ned Kelly, a larrikin bushranger who out smarted police at every turn and was seen to be an ‘Aussie battler’, that Australia had a folk hero to call their own. Many see Ned Kelly as a true Australian and highly culturally significant, in fact more people could name Ned Kelly then our first Prime Minister, Sir Edmond Barton (Tranter, Bruce and Donoghue, 2008) Australian culture is a fairly new concept and can be rather allusive and difficult to highlight in society, however there have been
Bibliography: Bamblett, M. (2006) ‘Culture makes us what we are’, Herald Sun, 3/6 pg9. Bartolo, K. (2008) ‘”Bogan”: Polite or not? Cultural implications of a term in Australian Slang’, Griffith Working Papers in Pragmatics and Intercultural Communication 1(1), pg7-20. Herald Sun (2008) ‘Do you agree with Lord Mayor Robert Doyle that bogans are bad for Melbourne?’15/2, pg51. Karstedt, S. (2001) ‘Comparing cultures, comparing crime: Challenges, prospects and problems for a global criminology’, Crime, Law and Social Change, 36. pg295. Kissane, K. (2006) ‘Latest outfit flags trend in patriotism’, The Ag, 26/1, pg4. Ryan, K. (2008) ‘Proud bogans revolt; City mayor scolded’, Herald Sun, pg13. Tranter, Bruce and Donoghue, (2008) ‘Bushrangers: Ned Kelly and Australian identity’, Journal of Sociology, 44, 4 : 373-390. Wynhausen, E. (2008) ‘Nation Indigenous Affairs: Death on highway exposes tensions in a country town’, The Australia, 10-11/5, pg6. (2009) ‘On Culture,’ CLC Materials Book, pg5.