Honors Program Theses
Award/Availability
Open Access Honors Program Thesis
First Advisor
Gayle Rhineberger
Keywords
Juvenile delinquents--Public opinion; Documentary films;
Abstract
The juvenile justice system is an entity that is separate from the criminal justice system, with the intended purpose of accommodating the unique needs of juveniles. This system has the primary goals of rehabilitation and punishment, with an emphasis on rehabilitation. Most of the general population has had little to no contact with the juvenile justice system.. In order to fill this gap, a great portion of the public relies on media representation to build up a foundation of knowledge. This can include gaining information from news sources as well as crime based tv shows and documentaries. Little research has been conducted regarding what message these media outlets are portraying about incarcerated youth. This study examines the experiences of youth as portrayed by documentaries, specifically focusing on the areas of physical, social, emotional, and mental wellbeing, trauma and past experiences, and systemic influences of the justice system. By understanding the portrayal of juveniles in documentaries, we can better understand what messages the public is receiving about incarcerated juveniles. An understanding of how documentaries portray juveniles is important, as this is the primary means by which the general public understand juvenile offenders. These images intern impacts their attitudes and behaviors about juveniles, such as supporting local or state policies or laws related to juvenile justice reform.
Year of Submission
2025
Department
Department of Sociology, Anthropology, and Criminology
University Honors Designation
A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the designation University Honors
Date Original
2025
Object Description
1 PDF file (26 pages)
Copyright
©2025 Emma Decker
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Language
en
File Format
application/pdf
Recommended Citation
Decker, Emma, "How Do Documentaries Depict the Experiences of Juveniles in Correctional Facilities?" (2025). Honors Program Theses. 985.
https://scholarworks.uni.edu/hpt/985
