The psychology of AMBER Alert: Unresolved issues and implications

Miller, Monica K.; Griffin, Timothy; Clinkinbeard, Samantha S.; Thomas, Rebecca

doi:10.1016/j.soscij.2008.12.004

Cited by 15 publications

(18 citation statements)

References 30 publications

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“…Most alerts are issued not in cases of stranger abductions; instead, most are issued in cases of family abductions, in which the likelihood of bodily injury or death is low (Griffin et al, 2007). M. K. Miller et al (2009) further suggest that some alerts may be issued without enough descriptive information to aid in the successful return of the child.…”

Section: Amber Alertmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The U.S. Department of Justice (2006) claims that AMBER Alerts have saved hundreds of children's lives, and the system enjoys the near unanimous support of the public, policy makers, and law enforcement. Yet evidence suggests that the system may be ineffective (Griffin, Miller, Hoppe, Rebideaux, & Hammack, 2007;Harder, Bloomfield, & Chihak, 2003), and researchers have proposed that AMBER Alerts may have serious unintended consequences (Griffin & Miller, 2008;M. K. Miller, Griffin, Clinkenbeard, & Thomas, 2009).…”

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confidence: 99%

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Social Psychological Influences on the Popularity of Amber Alerts

Sicafuse

Miller

2010

Criminal Justice and Behavior

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The AMBER Alert system enjoys widespread public support. Yet evidence suggests that the system may be ineffective and have unintended consequences. Because AMBER Alerts are illusory means of controlling crime, they may be conceptualized as “crime control theater” (CCT) and thus are indicative of a problematic social tendency to address complex issues through simple solutions. This article utilizes principles of social cognition, attitudes, social norms, and symbolic interaction to predict that the AMBER Alert system will persevere despite its disadvantages. This analysis can help account for the popularity of other forms of CCT. It also highlights the need for future research aimed at elucidating the processes responsible for the acceptance of policies that are mere theater.

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Section: Amber Alertmentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Social Psychological Influences on the Popularity of Amber Alerts

Sicafuse

Miller

2010

Criminal Justice and Behavior

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“…This may prove consequential as participants were unable to be prevented from taking notes if they had wished during the task which would have significantly influenced the recall accuracy and error scores. However, the study aimed to replicable realistic events in daily activities and research has demonstrated how members of the public are unlikely to give 100% of their attention and concentration to every appeal presented (Miller et al, 2009). Similarly, these individuals may be distracted by completing alternative tasks at the same time as the appeal such as eating a family meal which would not have been possible to achieve in a laboratory-based environment with these factors strictly controlled.…”

Section: Limitations and Future Directionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Missing children appeal designs: Is recall accuracy influenced by the design of the appeal?

2019

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When a child goes missing it is common practice to release an appeal of the child in the hope that a member of the public could help to identify and locate them. Despite being an everyday occurrence, there remains a significant gap in our understanding of how effective these appeals are. The present study sought to explore the effectiveness of missing children appeals through the recall accuracy of the general public immediately after observing the appeals and again after a three-day delay. One hundred and eighty-two participants observed either a mock Child Rescue Alert or a mock Twitter appeal. The results found no significant difference in recall accuracy between the design of the appeals although there was a significant difference in recall error. Confidence in own recall accuracy and the length of time spent observing the appeals were also found to be significantly associated with recall accuracy. Initial recall accuracy scores were significantly higher than recall accuracy scores following a three-day break. This exploratory study demonstrates the requirement to improve missing children appeals and lays the foundation for future studies to build on these findings further.

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“…The system might also lead children to have an exaggerated fear of strangers, which could affect relationship development (Jessup & Miller, 2015). Moreover, issuing an Alert may cause an abductor to panic and murder the child (or murder the child earlier than intended) to avoid getting caught (Miller et al, 2009). Despite these risks, these policies are met with initial public acceptance (Hammond et al, 2010), and support for these laws persevere despite evidence of their ineffectiveness (see Applegate, Cullen, Turner, & Sundt, 1996; Livio, 2009).…”

Section: Outcomes Of Cctmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Although these policies vary in strategy and scope, they share striking similarities. Most notably, such reactive crime control policies enjoy widespread public support in spite of empirical failure and unintended negative outcomes (Armstrong, Miller, & Griffin, 2015; Griffin & Miller, 2008; Hammond, Miller, & Griffin, 2010; Levenson & D’Amora, 2007; Miller, Griffin, Clinkenbeard, & Thomas, 2009; Sicafuse & Miller, 2010, 2012; Turner, Sundt, & Applegate, 1995). Because hasty policy responses to rare or heinous crimes create the illusion of crime control despite their ineffectiveness, Griffin and Miller (2008) argue that they are merely a form of “crime control theater” (CCT).…”

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confidence: 99%

Understanding Crime Control Theater

Yelderman

Miller

Forsythe³

et al. 2017

Criminal Justice Review

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Policies such as America’s Missing: Broadcast Emergency Response Alerts, safe haven laws, Megan’s law, and three-strikes laws have provided the public with a feeling of safety and security. However, research has provided evidence that disputes their effectiveness. These types of laws and policies have become known as “crime control theater” (CCT) because they appear to be effective, serve the public’s best interests, and provide a crime control purpose but are largely ineffective and have unintended negative consequences. Using self-affirmation and emotion theory, this study examines potential explanations as to why individuals might support CCT policies. It also investigates whether support differs based on relevant characteristics (e.g., gender, sample type, and preexisting beliefs about policy effectiveness). Results suggest that females and Amazon Mechanical Turk (MTurk) workers tend to support CCT policies more than males and college students. Further, the relationship between gender and support was mediated by anticipatory guilt, and this effect was stronger for individuals who did not believe in the effectiveness of the policy. Results suggest that individuals who believe the policy is effective will support it more than those who do not, regardless of their anticipated guilt. In contrast, those who doubt the policy only support it if they anticipate feeling guilty; this effect is stronger for women. Results can help explain why people support policies that are largely ineffective and suggest that relevance to the issue can help explain why some groups are more supportive than others.

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The psychology of AMBER Alert: Unresolved issues and implications

Abstract: mandatory-influenzavaccinations-an-example-of-health-promotion-theater/ Miller, M. K., Alvarez, M., & Weaver, J. ( 2016). Empirical evidence for AMBER Alert as crime control theater: A comparison of student and community samples. Manuscript submitted for publication.

Cited by 15 publications

References 30 publications

Social Psychological Influences on the Popularity of Amber Alerts

Social Psychological Influences on the Popularity of Amber Alerts

Missing children appeal designs: Is recall accuracy influenced by the design of the appeal?

Understanding Crime Control Theater

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