This paper will discuss the mass media’s effect over public opinion of sentencing criminals by examining two studies conducted by Doob and Roberts. The second of the studies, 1990, is actually three consecutive studies summarized in one research presentation. The reason for this was to follow up on questions arising from the previous study and to rule out outside influencing factors and most importantly to ensure replication validity of both the 1984 and the current ongoing research. The research executed by Doob and Roberts was conducted by seeking out random respondents at the Ontario Science Center and providing either newspaper crime stories from the previous week (study week) or a more detailed court summary of the same case/s. There were short questionnaires attached to the stories and the respondents were not compensated for their participation.

The public believes what they read and/or hear. If mass media covers a case, criminal or civil, it is the right of all citizens that information be purveyed accurately and completely. The Constitution of the United States grants citizens freedom of speech; in doing so the media takes advantage and states only what is of convenience to their association and, in most cases, to their political affiliation. By doing so what we are left with is the “knowledge that the public views crime as being more violent than it seems to be; sees the justices system as responding too leniently, and in some instances more leniently than in fact it does; and it feels changes should be made in this system” (Doob & Roberts, 1990). In both 1984 and 1990, Roberts and Doob attest that media coverage of crime, criminals and sentences is poor. Details pertaining to the cases are minimal. Information available to the public in the news is pertinent because the public has a great influence over such agencies such as the USSC. Public opinion pushes for legislative changes in our sentencing guidelines, yet public

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