When is true crime content inappropriate? Fans, a legal expert and a psychologist speak out

Real crime is a phenomenon. From TV shows and movies to podcasts and publications, stories revealing the small print of true crimes, especially missing individuals and murder cases, are considered one of the fastest growing genres. Some people imagine that watching or listening to true crime stories provides a possibility to learn concerning the successes and failures of our criminal justice system, increases awareness of little-known cases, and potentially helps exonerate wrongfully convicted people. Others are critical and say that true crime content can distort the best way we expect concerning the justice system, perpetuate myths about typical victims of violent crimes, or persuade viewers that their online investigations may help solve the case.

“I feel crime podcasts, at the least the great ones, provide insight into human nature. In a way, it’s unbelievable that folks can do the things which might be described,” director Norris Francois Jr. tells ESSENCE.

The self-proclaimed podcast enthusiast claims to have listened to tens of 1000’s of hours of podcasts, including crime-related ones. He understands each praise and criticism towards them.

“Some people just tell a story. Some of them end up advocating for specific cases, telling them to look into it, donate to support funds, and get lawyers for people who may be wrongly convicted. So I’m learning a lot in this respect,” says Francois. “But I agree that there are negative aspects overall. I listen to a good range and in some of them you can really hear the tone is exploitative,” he added, noting that these are sometimes the most well-liked true crime podcasts.

Critics of the content say it might desensitize viewers to violent crimes and murders to the purpose that the stories are viewed simply as “entertainment” relatively than real-life tragedies. This is especially true for missing and murdered Black people.

“We know from the data that this is the case [Black women] underrepresented, and when they are represented, sometimes it’s victim blaming, so we ask, you know, why did she come home with so-and-so? Or why they were out at that time of day,” says Dr. Apryl Alexander, associate professor at Department of Public Health Sciences at UNC Charlotte.

The death of Lauren Smith-Fields in December last 12 months received wide media coverage only weeks after her death. Smith-Fields, a 23-year-old black woman, was found dead in her Connecticut apartment after dating an older white man she met on the dating app Bumble. As her story gained national attention, concerns were raised concerning the way it was portrayed within the press, the police investigation and a number of the online reactions via true crime projects.

Some social media users expressed displeasure about her dating outside her race, while others suggested she was involved in prostitution and thus brought violence upon herself. The popularity of a true crime story can influence how comfortable people feel recounting the tragic details and attempting to piece together the story themselves.

“It’s like a lot of victim-blaming content. Instead of “Let’s focus on the terrible event” instead of “Let’s focus on finding the person who caused the harm.” So black women and girls are just not treated equally in some of these cases, generally speaking, and in real crimes as well,” explains Dr. Alexander.

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In 2003–2004, serial killer Larry Bright lured and murdered at the least eight black women in Peoria, Illinois. Some women were strangled and their bodies dumped in rural areas, others he burned and buried in his yard.

Pinnacle book from 2010 tells the story of Bright and his crimes against women – and it upset a lot of their families. The cover of the book depicts the murderer, and inside there are photographs of assorted crime scenes and artifacts of the murder, similar to bone fragments from a number of the victims.

As writer Terrion L. Williamson draws attention in a 2021 article, the murder investigation book included information that was not available to family and community members. Terrion wrote, “the book sparked a sense of betrayal and outrage in the community because very few family members of the victims had even heard of or spoken to the author before its release.”

Williamson, an associate professor of African American and African American studies on the University of Minnesota, added that Carmea Erving, the eldest daughter of Brenda Erving, the last woman killed by Bright, told her: “It’s not right. How do you understand I need you to inform my story?”

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From 2018 to 2021, the variety of documentary series on streaming services increased by 63 percent According to data from a media monitoring company, true crime was the most important segment Parrot analytics. Additionally, the common true crime consumer tunes in inside one 12 months estimated to be roughly 84 episodes of true crime shows, 44 chapters of true crime books, 34 episodes of true crime podcasts, and 20 true crime movies survey conducted by Super Summary. The interest is only growing.

As a clinical and forensic psychologist, Dr. Alexander says the rise of the true crime genre is a combination of individuals’s fascination with criminal behavior and its causes, combined with the convenience of access to those stories online through streaming services and social media. In her opinion, nevertheless, it ought to be remembered that this content can’t be viewed just for “entertainment” purposes, but in addition to discuss real events involving real victims.

“I always think about people who say, ‘Oh, I’m obsessed with studying serial killers and finding out everything about them.’ “I at all times say they’d real victims, victims who might have been your friend, member of the family, anyone,” he says.

In September, Netflix released a series about serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer. Between 1978 and 1991, Dahmer murdered and dismembered 17 men and boys, most of whom were LGBT, black or brown. The series broke Netflix’s world record for a series debut in its opening week, nevertheless it also faced heavy backlash, primarily accusing it of cashing in on the trauma experienced by the various black and queer people Dahmer murdered and the families they left behind. .

“We are all one traumatic event away from having the worst day of our lives when you are reduced to your neighbor’s favorite drinking show,” said Eric Perry, a relative of Dahmer victim Errol Lindsey. . “Most importantly, if you’re going to create something that uses real-world people and experiences, you should at least reach out to those people out of respect,” he also said.

Lindsey’s sister, Rita Isbell, whose courtroom victim impact statement was featured on the series, also criticized streaming platform for failing to contact victims’ families before creating program content based on their pain.

Civil and criminal defense lawyer Sue-Ann Robinson says true crime content and fans of those shows may help or hinder legal investigations. “I feel true crime shows, depending on how they’re made, can provide more information to society. Or they will actually desensitize the general public if it’s done simply for shock value,” said Robinson, who was a legal expert on the first and second seasons of the STARZ investigative docuseries .

As a member of the team, Robinson re-investigated cases through which incarcerated defendants insisted on their innocence. Notably, two of the accused within the series were released from prison based on latest evidence revealed within the serial investigation.

“True Crime fans could be a shield and a sword because in the event that they do the fitting thing, ask the fitting questions and bring attention to a case that does not shine a light on it, then that is great. But in the event that they do negative things, similar to spreading false information or distracting police from things they really want to analyze, then there’s a problem,” Robinson explains.

True crime fan Morgan Angelique Owens says she watches shows she likes because they deal with the stories of the victims and their families, not the perpetrator.

“What interested me was that I was studying criminology. Growing up in the inner city, I always wanted to go to law school and see how I could make a difference, especially in the criminal justice field,” she shares with . “Actually, my dad was Hamilton County Coroner when I was in college. I had the opportunity to intern in his office and it was an interesting experience that made me even more involved. He actually appeared in a few episodes here in Cincinnati,” he adds.

For Owens, now a media entrepreneur, fact-based content is a very important tool for shedding light on little-known issues, which she says is especially essential in relation to stories about missing and murdered black women who don’t at all times get the eye they deserve .

“The lives of people, especially Black women, who have gone missing or had crimes committed against them, these stories need to be told despite criticism because how will we learn about them and how will we remember them?” says Owens.

She notes that she doesn’t remember seeing the last episode of her favorite crime series that highlighted the stories of black women. Robinson says this often happens because black women are rarely seen as victims of crime. Therefore, the defense attorney and former prosecutor imagine it is vital to vary this perception.

“I think black women are like the canary in the coal mine when it comes to these issues. We are at the intersection of race and gender. So we are the most vulnerable, but we are also the ones on the front line in terms of needing visibility and that is why we need to be more aware of our issues because we are at the crossroads,” Robinson said.

“The more we can have stories that explain our vulnerability, the fact that we are canaries in the coal mine, the fact that this is not a black woman, missing or murdered case, but a missing or murdered person and that it should be a problem for everyone,” she says.