Explain Cohen's Theory Of Moral Panic

1674 Words4 Pages

This assignment explores Cohen's theory of moral panic in relation to the construction of child abuse. I discuss two main ways in which the notion of "folk devils" help us to better understand the construction of child abuse, through the understanding of high profile cases to the non-static nature of child abuse within society and child protection in social services. I draw on two pivotal cases in the face of moral panic and the evolution of child protection, Peter Connelly (Baby P) and Victoria Climbié. The essay also looks at the history and changes of society's view of child abuse, as well as policy and legislation changes to child protection in Britain.

This essay will explore Cohen's theory of moral panic, focusing on …show more content…

During public cases of child abuse, folk devils are usually extremely prevalent throughout the media. Folk devils are groups of people who are blamed and are portrayed as a threat to society for a certain immoral occurrence, such as high-profile cases of child abuse. The media are one of the main subjects that are labelled as "moral entrepreneurs" in Cohen's theory, along with politicians, policy makers and police chiefs. Moral entrepreneurs are groups of people or authorities who have the power and ability to identify the "folk devil" in certain cases. They then continue present this group in a very particular, negative and stereotypical fashion, while exaggerating the scale of the threat. (Cohen, 2011). Folk devils can be any different groups of people, but within child abuse cases, two of the most commonly portrayed groups as folk devils are social workers and lower-class parents. This theory and the deconstruction of the process of moral panics is extremely beneficial in helping us understand the social construction of child abuse, and the way society's attitudes have changed towards …show more content…

Since the foundation of the NSPCC in 1884, society's definition and understanding of child abuse has fluctuated massively, making it clear that child abuse, as a whole, is a social construct. Moving to 1894, the definition of child abuse broadened further when the "children's charter", which allowed police forces to enter a home if it was suspected that a child was facing maltreatment, was extended. It recognised the severity of mental cruelty, and it also became illegal to neglect a sick child of medical attention (Hann and Fertleman, 2016). In 1968, under the creation of the Social Work (Scotland) Act, social work departments took over welfare, health and probation committees. The responsibility of the investigation of child abuse was then also shifted to local authorities, which was a huge development in the recognition of child abuse as it was no longer purely the responsibility of the police, it became a duty of the local authority to uphold child protection. The 1970's brought forward a whole new perspective on child abuse, as different types of abuse were recognised. Prior to this, child abuse was widely understood to be physical mistreatment of children, but the law was changed in order to define other types of abuse such as neglect, sexual

Show More
Related

  • Parties that Usually Report Child Abuse to Authorities

    1283 Words  | 3 Pages

    When children are hurt physically, emotionally, or sexually it is known to be child abuse. Children are known to be neglected when they are not getting the proper attention needed for children. When children are neglected or abused in any way it is the responsibility of others to report such acts to the authorities as to what they have witnessed first-hand or signs of abuse or neglect seen after the fact, these people who reports such acts are known as third parties. The proper authorities to report child abuse or neglect is called Child Protected Services also known as Child Welfare. After the abuse or neglect is reported the proper authorities will then investigate to see if the abuse or neglect is legit or fraudulent (Sedlak, 2001).

    Read More

  • Texas Department of Family and Protective Services

    1259 Words  | 3 Pages

    According to the Encyclopedia of Education, the program was first started in 1690. It became a way to deal with criminal court cases involving child abuse. Two years later the states and municipalities identified care for abused and neglected children as the responsibility of local government and private institutions. It was not until 1825, that the states enacted laws that gave social workers the right to remove children that had been neglected from their parents and their homes. The program has had several names since then. In 1835, it was the National Federation of Child Rescue, later in 1853; they founded the Children’s Aid Society which was a response to the problem of orphaned and abandoned children. In 1874, the “case of Mary Ellen” became the first child abuse case to be criminally prosecuted. In 1930, the Social Security addressed issues of abuse and neglect, which provided funding for intervention for “neglected and dependent children in danger of becoming delinquent.” Effective February 1, 2004, the name of the Texas Department of Protective and Regulatory Services was changed to the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (Guthrie, Heyneman & Braxton, 2002). The Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, is a state agency that is run by the state government.

    Read More

  • CAPTA Case Analysis

    872 Words  | 2 Pages

    The original goal of CAPTA was simply to reduce rates of Child Abuse and Neglect and raise awareness to the issue. Over the 40 years that CAPTA has been in place, the act has been amended and updated, each time with more specific goals, to better reach the population it serves. Because the definition of child abuse and neglect has changed over the years and expanded, it is easy to misinterpret the rise in the rate of abuse and neglect over the last ten years. In fact, this rise simply means that there are more children being treated for abuse and neglect, who were previously going under the radar. From 2010 to 2014, the rate of child maltreatment raised one percent, from 698,000 to 702,000. This can be interpreted to mean that one percent more

    Read More

  • The Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention and Treatment Act of 1974

    1085 Words  | 3 Pages

    In 1974, the United States Congress passed an act that would provide the necessary laws and regulations that would protect those who have become victims of child abuse and neglect. According to this policy was meant to: “provide financial assistance for a demonstration program for the prevention, identification, and treatment of child abuse and neglect” (CAPTA of 1974 P.L. 93-247). This law became known as Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act. The Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act was first amended in 1974 and became known as CAPTA. However, over the years CAPTA has been amended several times. When CAPTA was amended on June 25, 2003 it became part of the Keeping Children and Families Safe Act of 2003. The most recent amendment of the law was on December 1, 2010 (Public Law 108-36) (About CAPTA: A Legislative History). By definition, which was established in 1974, CAPTA is defined as “the physical or mental injury, sexual abuse, negligent treatment, or maltreatment of a child under the age of eighteen by a person who is responsible for the child’s welfare under circumstances which indicate tha...

    Read More

  • Working with families is difficult and complex.

    1987 Words  | 4 Pages

    ...children, young people and their families can be both complex and difficult. Social work practice is one of the most challenging as it involves work with a diverse range of both professionals and service users. However, there is more that one single reason for this. As all professionals, agencies and parents continue to work together in various different cases, a variety of skills are required including: communication, preparation, intervention skills, assessment of significant harm, research of current legislation and decision making skills, all of which contribute to the complexities and difficulties of social work. It could be argued that these difficulties are highlighted most in many public cases of child abuse; moreover these cases can be seen to be changing social work practice, affecting the difficulties and complexities of working within this profession.

    Read More

  • Media Coverage on Hurricane Katrina

    1298 Words  | 3 Pages

    However, despite being regarded as unnecessary rumors by a section of the American society and government, many media people and houses reported harrowing incidents of murder, rape, carjacking and assaults. There were also media reports about a significant number of urban legends who sprouted at the height of the commotion brought about by Hurricane Katrina – systematic children rapists and a 7-year-old’s throat being slit. However, media reports aside, these contentions remain just that. Nevertheless, although a significant count of th...

    Read More

  • Child Abuse In California's Life In A Child Called It By Dave Pelzer

    1769 Words  | 4 Pages

    David suffered physical, mental, and emotional abuse from the age of four to 12-years-old. As his teachers and principal, neighbors, and even his maternal grandmother and father stand by and let the abuse happen, it makes me wonder what they could have done differently. For example, David’s father saw the abuse firsthand and he would try to intervene to help him out initially. David’s father was caught by the madness of his wife in calling him, ‘the boy’ and ‘It’. As much as his father tried to comfort David, he did not have the will to stand up against his wife. Another example, the maternal grandmother commented on bruises visible on David’s body and she did not take action to report her daughter for abusing her grandchild, David. Instead, David’s grandmother stated that she should stay out of it and let David’s mother raise her children as she saw fit. I believed the unreported instances observed by the public to be just as substantial a crime as the child abusers themselves. Also, the Department of Children and Social Services were contacted because of the alleged child abuse events that occurred previously; however, he was not taken from the home because the social worker of the agency sided with David’s mother. The social worker did not complete a thoroughly

    Read More

  • Crime, Moral Panics and the Media

    1722 Words  | 4 Pages

    Some of the governing models of moral panics include Jock Young (1971) and Stanley Cohen (1972). Stanley Cohen fabricated the idea of moral panics in his book Folk Devils and Moral Panics (1972), whilst Jock Young concentrated more on the correlation of deviance amplification and drug taking. The main feature of a moral panic is deviance amplification; this was looked at in more detail by Stanley Cohen (1972) in what he called the deviancy amplification spiral. Some examples of media moral panics include; internet pornography, violence in video games, immigration, single parents etc… Moral panics can affect the public’s perceptions of crime in many ways, making the ext... ... middle of paper ... ...

    Read More

  • Reflecting On Changes In Children's Behaviour

    1690 Words  | 4 Pages

    Children’s Social Care work with parents and other agencies to assess the stages of child protection procedures, record information and make decisions on taking further action. The police work closely with this agency to act on decisions made such as removing a child or the person responsible for the abuse while gathering evidence and carrying out investigations regarding the matter. Health professionals have a duty to report suspected non-accidental injuries to Children’s Social Care and examine children to give evidence of abuse. The Children Act 2004 requires every local area to have a Local Safeguarding Children Board to oversee the work of agencies involved in child protection, place policies and procedures for people who work with children and conduct serious case reviews when children die as a result of abuse. The NSPCC is the only charitable organisation that has the statutory power to take action when children are at risk of abuse. They provide services to support families and children and two helplines for children in danger and adults who are concerned for a child’s safety. They also raise awareness of abuse, share their expertise with other professionals and work to influence the law and social policy protect children more efficiently. There are also acts in place to protect children such as the Children Act 1989, the United Nations Convention On The Rights Of The Child 1989, the Education Act 2002 and the Children Act 2004. Legal framework from such acts are provided for Every Child Matters which requires early years practitioners to demonstrate that they provide activities that help children protect themselves. This may be through books and group talks known as “Stranger

    Read More

  • The Daniel Pelka Serious Case Review

    1723 Words  | 4 Pages

    Parton, N., Thorpe, D. and Wattam, C. (1997) Child Protection Risk and Moral Order, London: Macmillan

    Read More

  • Social Issues Presented in Jeannette Wall's Memoir, The Glass Castle

    1075 Words  | 3 Pages

    As a Child Protective worker, my responsibilities are to assess safety (immediate), risk (future harm), abuse and maltreatment, and make a determination as to whether a child is safe or at risk of future harm and assess the need for services. The child welfare worker assigned to investigate the case failed to ensure the above. Works Cited Downs-Whitelaw, S., Moore, E., & McFadden, E. J. (2009). The 'Standard' of the 'Standard'.

    Read More

  • Victoria Climbie Case

    2197 Words  | 5 Pages

    Throughout this essay, the health, safety and welfare policy and practise that came about after the Victoria Climbie case will be reviewed and evaluated. After arriving in England in November 1991 from the Ivory Coast, eight-year old Victoria Climbie suffered abuse from her great-aunt, Marie-Therese Kouao, and her great-aunts partner. The anguish and eventual murder of Victoria in 2000 from hypothermia, caused by malnourishment and damp conditions, provoked ‘the most extensive investigation into the child protection system in British history’ as described by Batty (Macleod-Brudenell, 2004). The high media profiled incident exposed a clear lack of precision and communication between all professionals and agencies involved. This is shown by the fact that the mistreatment Victoria was suffering had gone unnoticed by the social services, police and NHS staff, who failed to make each other aware of the clear danger signs. Within the Lord Laming Inquiry into Victoria Climbie’s death (2003), it can be seen that some features recur time after time in child abuse cases; inadequate resources to meet demands, inexperience and lack of skill of individual social workers. In addition, it can also be seen that crucial procedures were evidently not being followed. The procedure that was established after this case included the recommendations made by Lord Laming such as the Green Paper of Every Child Matters (DfES, 2003) and the Children Act (DfES, 2004). These ensure that all children have the fundamental right to be protected from harm and abuse. In addition to this, it also certifies all adults who come into contact with children and families have a duty to safeguard and promote the welfare of children.

    Read More

  • Mary Ellen Wilson: Child Abuse In America

    1207 Words  | 3 Pages

    Since the case of Mary Ellen Wilson in 1874, child abuse has seen it’s share of light in published news. It is disheartening to read countless stories of future generations being harmed to the extent of psychological damage or even death. Child abuse as a whole has been addressed multiple times in various news blogs, however, nothing has been done to work towards abolishing it at a larger level. The future of America is in jeopardy based on the level of abuse that children endure. Childhelp states that approximately 5 children die every day at the hands of child abuse. America struggles to find equality, and by bystanding the stripping of its youth, continual prolonging is inevitable. Raising this nation’s children in means of nurturing and care is the first step to uplifting America as a whole. In 2012 alone, 1593 of America’s children died at the hands of child abuse, 70.3% of which were younger than the age of three (Safe Horizon). In order to prevent further child abuse, the American government should address stricter child protection laws, psychological stability, and an increase the recognition of those that have released their stories.

    Read More

  • Terrorism and Moral Panic in America

    1644 Words  | 4 Pages

    A moral panic can be defined as a phenomenon, frequently initiated by disquieting media and reinforced by responsive laws and public policies, of embellished public concern, angst or anger over a perceived danger to societal order (Krinsky, 2013). The media plays a crucial role in emphasizing a current moral panic. In Jock Young’s chapter Images of Deviance (1971), he comments on the phenomenon of deviance magnification, he deems dramatic media coverage of deviant behaviours to be ironic, owing to the fact that it unintentionally increases rather than restrains the apparent deviance. In hind sight the media create social problems, owing to the fact that they can present them dramatically and are able to do it swiftly (Young & Cohen, 1971: 37).

    Read More

  • Child Abuse Is A Social Problem

    1365 Words  | 3 Pages

    In response to this social issue, the first federal child welfare policy Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA) was signed into law by President Nixon in 1974. According to the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of the Child article 19, “all appropriate legislative, administrative, social and educational measure to protect the child from all forms of physical or mental violence, injury or abuse, neglect or negligent treatment, maltreatment or exploitation, including sexual abuse, while in the care of parent(s), legal guardian(s) or any other person who has the care of the child” (Detrick, 1999). CAPTA governs Child Protective Services programs across the country supporting...

    Read More

More about Explain Cohen's Theory Of Moral Panic

Open Document