The criminal justice system as entertainment critique

Criminal Justice as Portrayed in Television Entertainment

American Justice Episode #87 "Donnie Brasco" is the story of former FBI Special Agent Joe Pistone who successfully infiltrated the Bonanno crime family of the New York Mafia for six years, beginning in 1976. As a result of that long-term undercover operation, more than 200 Mafiosi were arrested, more than half of whom were eventually convicted of their crimes. To accomplish his infiltration, Special Agent Pistone exploited the friendship he established with a Bonanno family captain, Dominick "Sonny Black" Napolitano. After the operation was terminated by the FBI and the successful infiltration made public, Napolitano was killed by his former associates for having vouched for Pistone and allowing him access to the organization. The episode portrays the many criminal operations, including murders, committed by the crime family and by Napolitano, who boasted of having killed 26 people in previous years.

American Justice Episode #71 "The Amy Fisher Story" concerned the case dubbed "The Long Island Lolita" by the press. In 1992, Amy Fisher was a 17-year-old high school student who had been having an affair with a much older married man named Joseph Buttafuco, the owner of a local car repair business where Fisher's father had previously had work done on his car. In May of 1992, Fisher showed up at the Buttafuco home and shot Buttafuco's wife Mary Jo Buttafuco in the head with a handgun; she survived but is disfigured today. Fisher was charged with attempted murder but was eventually allowed to plea bargain the charges down to first degree assault. Fisher served seven years in prison and was released in 1999. Joseph Buttafuco was convicted of statutory rape and only served six months for the crime upon his conviction. There was some evidence that Buttafuco may have actually orchestrated the attempt on his wife's life but that was never established at trial.

Discussion

The segment of the criminal justice system portrayed in Episode 87 is law enforcement and undercover investigations of organized crime. The Mafia "capo" is depicted both as a ruthless criminal who had murdered more than two dozen people but also as a loyal friend to Special Agent Pistone. Pistone described the sense of betrayal he felt at exploiting Napolitano's friendship on a personal level despite the fact that Napolitano was a ruthless criminal and a murder. The FBI is portrayed as a dedicated law enforcement organization whose agents often risk life and limb to conduct investigations where they associate with cold-blooded killer who would murder them on the spot if their true identity were ever discovered.

The circumstances depicted in the episode seem to illustrate the rational choice theory of crime as well as the principle of criminal association. Rational choice describes the fact that every individual makes conscious decisions to abide by the law or to become a criminal (Macionis, 2003; Schmalleger, 2008). The criminal association principle suggests that being socialized to regard crime as acceptable or to admire criminals plays a role in the choices made in that regard. The fact that Pistone and Napolitano were actually raised in very similar circumstances where each had the same type of exposure to organized crime families illustrates that rational choice is more important than criminal association because Pistone made the conscious choice to become a federal agent rather than one of the criminals who controlled his childhood neighborhood (Macionis, 2003; Schmalleger, 2008).

The segment of the criminal justice system portrayed by Episode 71 is criminal investigations and the operations of the criminal justice system. Fisher was allowed to plea bargain the charges of attempted murder despite the fact that she deliberately shot the wife of her lover in the head in the attempt to murder her. The episode suggests that her age was a significant factor in the decision of the prosecution to agree to that plea, but it is not clear that justice was served, especially for the victim. Fisher never really exhibited any genuine remorse for her crime. The circumstances depicted in the episode illustrate the theory of criminal deviance and rational choice (Macionis, 2003; Schmalleger, 2008). Fisher was a troubled teen who had been a habitual delinquent in school and had abused alcohol and drugs despite having been raised in a respectable upper-middle class home.

Conclusion

Episode #87 does not end with a question. It concludes with a retrospective analysis with retired Special Agent Pistone who recounts the experience of his undercover operation and of testifying against some of the criminals who were tried and convicted on the basis of his work. Naturally, Pistone is portrayed as the hero that he is and the Mafiosi are depicted as the ruthless criminals and killers that they are.