Frame 
Cause 
Policy 
Faulty system 
Crime stems from criminal justice 
leniency and inefficiency. 
The criminal justice system needs to get tough on crime 
Blocked 
opportunities 
Crime stems from poverty and 
inequality 
The government must address the “root causes” of crime by creating 
jobs and reducing poverty. 
Social 
breakdown 
Crime stems from family and 
community breakdown 
Citizens should band together to recreate traditional communities. 
Racist system 
The criminal justice system operates in 
a racist fashion 
African Americans should band together to demand justice 
Violent media 
Crime stems from violence in the mass 
media 
The government should regulate violent imagery in the media 
Narrative 
Costume 
Characteristic 
The PI 
Cheap suit and car 
Loner, cynical, shrewd, shady but dogged 
The rogue cop 
Plainclothes, disguise, often has special 
high tech equipment 
Maverick, smart, irreverent, violent but effective 
The sadistic 
guard 
Unkempt uniform 
Low intelligence, violent, racist, sexist, perverted, and enjoys 
cruelty, inflicting pain, and humiliation 
The corrupt 
lawyer 
Expensive suite and office 
Smart, greedy, manipulative, dishonest, smooth talker and liar, able 
to twist words, logic, and morality 
The greedy 
businessman 
Very expensive office and home, trophy 
wife 
Very smart, decisive, and a polished, unquenchable sometimes 
psychotic need for power and wealth 
[Footnote]Surette, R. (2011). Media, crime, and criminal justice: Images, realities, and policies (4th ed.). Belmont, 
CA: Wadsworth Publishing. [/footnote] 
Table 2: Framing Techniques 
Framing techniques per Fairhurst and Sarr (1996): 
• Metaphor: To frame a conceptual idea through comparison to something else. 
• Stories (myths, legends): To frame a topic via narrative in a vivid and memorable way. 
• Tradition (rituals, ceremonies): Cultural mores that imbue significance in the mundane, closely tied to artifacts. 
• Slogan, jargon, catchphrase: To frame an object with a catchy phrase to make it more memorable and relate-able. 
• Artifact: Objects with intrinsic symbolic value – a visual/cultural phenomenon that holds more meaning than the object 
itself. 
• Contrast: To describe an object in terms of what it is not. 
• Spin: to present a concept in such a way as to convey a value judgment (positive or negative) that might not be 
immediately apparent; to create an inherent bias by definition. (Fairhurst, G. & Sarr, R. 1996. The art of Framing. San 
Francisco: Jossey-Bass.) 
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