A Canadian News Media Analysis of Accused Persons Deemed Not Criminally Responsible on Account of Mental Disorder
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Framed: A Canadian news media analysis of accused persons deemed Not Criminally Responsible on Account of Mental Disorder by Tanya N. Miller B.J. (Concentration in Psychology, Hons.), Carleton University, 2011 Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts in the School of Criminology Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences Tanya N. Miller 2016 SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY Spring 2016 Approval Name: Tanya N. Miller Degree: Master of Arts (Criminology) Title: Framed: A Canadian news media analysis of accused persons deemed Not Criminally Responsible on Account of Mental Disorder Examining Committee: Chair: Martin Andresen Professor Simon Verdun-Jones Senior Supervisor Professor Sheri Fabian Supervisor Senior Lecturer Shane Gunster External Examiner Associate Professor School of Communication Simon Fraser University Date Defended/Approved: April 14, 2016 ii Abstract Few issues stir public interest, or generate as much controversy, as the verdict of Not Criminally Responsible on Account of Mental Disorder (NCR). Even though very few living with mental illness ever come into conflict with the law, three prominent cases recently prompted changes to Canada’s criminal justice system. This retrospective, mixed methods study analyzed coverage of these cases from four national news media services between 2008 and 2015, and how they were portrayed. Six major themes emerged: feelings of victimization; tough-on-crime attitudes; perceived injustice; trial by public opinion; a hierarchy of human rights; and negative stereotypes. Although two-thirds of stories conveyed a neutral tone, there were limited perspectives with lived experience, and no significant improvements in reporting trends over time. The findings support research that show the media provide overwhelmingly dramatic and distorted narratives of mental illness that emphasize dangerousness, unpredictability, and criminality. Recommendations to re- frame representations of NCR accused persons more accurately include practicing equality, providing context, collaborating with healthcare and legal experts, and focusing on rehabilitation. Keywords: not criminally responsible on account of mental disorder; mental illness; news media; framing; public safety; structural stigma iii Acknowledgements I am indebted to several individuals who made this academic achievement possible. First and foremost, my deepest gratitude to Dr. Simon Verdun-Jones and Dr. Sheri Fabian. I have the utmost respect for you, and it has been a privilege and a pleasure to work together. Your expertise and passion are unparalleled. Thank you both for your guidance, dedication, kindness, patience, and unwavering confidence in my abilities. Dr. Shane Gunster, for agreeing to be my external examiner. Thank you for your insightful—and invaluable—feedback and suggestions. My father, Jay, for being as invested in every part of the process as I have been. Thank you for your support and encouragement, and for challenging me intellectually. Erika Horwitz, whom I also consider family. Thank you for being my mentor, role model, comrade, and confidant. I am incredibly grateful for your genuine interest not only in my research, but also my well-being. It is your care and compassion that gives me hope for the future—a future without stigma. Thank you for all you have done for the mental health community. You are truly inspiring. Last, but far from least, Veronica Letawsky, Dorota Salvail, Lyndsay Scott, and Matt Steyer. Thank you for your unconditional friendship, it means the world. iv Table of Contents Approval .......................................................................................................................... ii Abstract .......................................................................................................................... iii Acknowledgements ........................................................................................................ iv Table of Contents ............................................................................................................ v List of Tables ................................................................................................................. vii List of Figures................................................................................................................ vii Chapter 1. Introduction ............................................................................................. 1 Chapter 2. Literature Review ..................................................................................... 8 2.1. Techniques and terms ............................................................................................ 8 2.1.1. Framing ..................................................................................................... 8 2.1.2. Newsworthiness ...................................................................................... 10 2.1.3. Sensationalism ........................................................................................ 11 2.2. Analytic concepts .................................................................................................. 12 2.2.1. Structural Stigma and Labeling ................................................................ 12 2.2.2. Not Criminally Responsible on Account of Mental Disorder ..................... 13 2.3. Extant literature .................................................................................................... 17 Chapter 3. Methodology .......................................................................................... 21 3.1. Research Statement and Objectives ..................................................................... 21 3.2. Research Design .................................................................................................. 21 3.3. Sampling Technique ............................................................................................. 22 3.4. Data Collection ..................................................................................................... 22 3.5. Data Analysis ....................................................................................................... 23 Chapter 4. Results ................................................................................................... 28 4.1. Quantitative Findings ............................................................................................ 28 4.2. Thematic Analysis ................................................................................................ 36 4.2.1. Victimization ............................................................................................ 37 4.2.1.1. By the system ....................................................................................... 37 4.2.1.2. As an agent of change .......................................................................... 38 4.2.2. Compelled to crusade .............................................................................. 39 4.2.2.1. Making it political ................................................................................... 40 4.2.3. Getting away with murder ........................................................................ 41 4.2.4. Court of public opinion ............................................................................. 42 4.2.4.1. Everyone is an expert ............................................................................ 43 4.2.5. All the same ............................................................................................. 45 4.2.6.1. “Us” versus “them” ................................................................................ 47 4.2.6. “People don’t want to hear Vince Li is getting better” ............................... 48 4.2.5.1. Dangerous minds .................................................................................. 49 v Chapter 5. Discussion ............................................................................................. 51 Chapter 6. Conclusion ............................................................................................. 58 6.1. Implications and Recommendations ..................................................................... 59 6.2. Limitations ............................................................................................................ 65 6.3. Future Research ................................................................................................... 67 References ................................................................................................................ 69 Appendix A. Example of positive tone article ....................................................... 85 Appendix B. Example of negative tone article ...................................................... 86 Appendix C. Example of neutral tone article ......................................................... 87 Appendix D. Example of ambivalent tone article .................................................. 88 Appendix E. Number of articles per reporter ........................................................ 89 vi List of Tables Table 2.1 News values ........................................................................................... 10 Table 3.1 Types of source...................................................................................... 25 Table 3.2 Types of tone ......................................................................................... 25 Table 4.1 Sample