The articles are based on the authors' presentations at the conference on 'Justice, Media, and Public: Historical and Comparative Perspectives', which was held at Keele University in February 2008. Drawing on recent academic research and policy initiatives, the authors use different methodologies in addressing the complex association between public confidence in criminal justice, criminal justice agency communication about its work, and media narratives of criminal justice. One article focuses on the interactions of articles in a local newspaper and changing public perceptions of nonconsensual sex crime. Another article addresses lessons from cases that involved miscarriages of justice and how this influences public confidence in criminal justice. A third article explores the potential role of criminologists in contributing to the public debate on crime and criminal justice. The remaining articles discuss how to improve public confidence in the criminal justice system, information and communication technologies related to policing, and the case for raising the age of criminal responsibility. The introductory article notes that all of the articles in this special issue suggest that the media is a dominant influence in explaining the causes of low public confidence in the criminal justice system; however, there are serious doubts about whether the media are effective mediums for building public confidence in the criminal justice system. 9 references