Project Director

Crittenden, Courtney

Department Examiner

McGuffee, Karen; Browne, Andy

Department

Dept. of Criminal Justice and Legal Assistant Studies

Publisher

University of Tennessee at Chattanooga

Place of Publication

Chattanooga (Tenn.)

Abstract

This research examines the themes between a variety of prison documentaries and the subsequent viewership. In recent years, documentaries depicting prison life have risen in popularity due to a number of factors such as violence, drama, hysteria, and an overall sense of fascination (Cecil, 2009). This popularity may have impacted views on the current criminal justice system considering most people never have contact with the criminal justice system in their lifetimes (Cecil, 2009). Therefore, these documentaries may serve as one of the only bases for information that they may have about the system (Cecil, 2009). Because prison documentaries are fulfilling the responsibility of informing the masses, it is even more important that they are accurate regarding any and all depictions and facts. Despite their importance, there has seemingly been a drop in the factual nature of these documentaries and the overall truth value in the inmate experience that is shown as these documentaries’ popularity has risen (Cecil, 2009). The current study explores and examines themes within popular prison documentaries in order to determine the information provided to the public.

Degree

B. S.; An honors thesis submitted to the faculty of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of Bachelor of Science.

Date

12-2019

Subject

Prisons -- Documentary films

Keyword

Criminal justice; Law; Mass communication; Mass media; Prisons

Discipline

Criminology and Criminal Justice

Document Type

Theses

Extent

unnumbered leaves

DCMI Type

Text

Language

English

Rights

http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

License

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/

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