THIS STUDY THEORIZES, FROM A RADICAL PERSPECTIVE, ON THE EFFECTS OF MASS MEDIA REPRESENTATIONS OF CRIMINALITY UPON THE GENERAL PUBLIC. WRITTEN AS PART OF AN ONGOING GERMAN RESEARCH PROJECT ON SOCIAL REACTION TO DEVIANCE, WITH PARTICULAR EMPHASIS ON THE NONINSTITUTIONAL SECTOR, THIS IS AN ATTEMPT TO SHOW HOW THOSE IN POWER MANIPULATE PUBLIC OPINION IN SUPPORT THE SOCIAL AND POLITICAL STATUS QUO. MASS MEDIA ARE THE MAIN SOURCES OF INDISPENSABLE PUBLIC INFORMATION FOR THE FRAGMENTED WEST GERMAN SOCIETY. INSECURE INDIVIDUALS DESIROUS OF HOLDING THE RIGHT (I.E., MAJORITY) OPINIONS, TURN TO THE MASS MEDIA FOR ENLIGHTENMENT. THE MASS MEDIA, ON THE OTHER HAND, BEING ONE OF THE POWER ESTABLISHMENT'S CHIEF INSTRUMENTS OF SOCIAL CONTROL, USE PORTRAYALS OF CRIMINALITY TO DEMONSTRATE THE PUNITIVE POWERS OF AUTHORITY. MEDIA IMAGES OF CRIMINALS BEING PUNISHED ARE TODAY'S SUBSTITUTES FOR THE PUBLIC EXECUTIONS OF EARLIER TIMES, OFFERED TO THE POPULACE AS EFFECTIVE INSTRUMENTS OF DETERRENCE. A SAMPLE OF WEST GERMAN CITIZENS WERE SURVEYED AND ASKED CAREFULLY WORDED QUESTIONS ON VARIOUS ASPECTS OF CRIMINALITY COVERAGE IN THE MASS MEDIA. THE DATA WERE TABULATED AND USED TO FORMULATE A COMBINED SOCIAL, POLITICAL, AND PSYCHOLOGICAL REACTION MODEL TO CRIMINALITY THAT PROVES THE SOCIAL CONTROL THEORY. RESPONDENTS WISHING FOR LESS MEDIA COVERAGE OF CRIMINALITY INDICATED A FEAR OF ADVERSE MORAL EFFECTS AND CORRUPTION BY IMITATION. THOSE WHO APPROVED, OR WOULD LIKE AN INCREASE IN THE PRESENT LEVEL OF MEDIA COVERAGE, CITED DETERRENT EFFECTS ON POTENTIAL CRIMINALS. THE RESEARCHERS REGARD ONE OF THE CHIEF EFFECTS OF MEDIA CRIME COVERAGE TO BE THE RESOLUTION OF CONFLICTS IN THE INDIVIDUAL PSYCHE BETWEEN SUBCONSCIOUS, FORBIDDEN DRIVES (E.G., AGGRESSION) AND THE NEED FOR PERSONAL SAFETY AND MATERIAL COMFORT. WATCHING ACTS OF VIOLENCE IN MOVIES AND TELEVISION GRATIFIES THE FORBIDDEN DRIVES, AND ALSO ASSUAGES THE NEED FOR SECURITY WHEN AUTHORITIES CAPTURE AND PUNISH THE CRIMINAL IN THE END. IN ADDITION TO THIS DOUBLE CATHARTIC EFFECT, MEDIA CRIME COVERAGE AFFIXES PUBLIC ATTENTION ON THE ALLEGEDLY OVERWHELMING DANGER OF CRIME, AND DIVERTS IT FROM IMPORTANT SOCIAL AND POLITICAL ISSUES. STATISTICALLY, THE MAJORITY OF CITIZENS SURVEYED FEEL IMPORTANT SOCIAL AND POLITICAL ISSUES. STATISTICALLY, THE MAJORITY OF CITIZENS SURVEYED FEEL THAT EVERYONE SHOULD BE BEHIND THE AUTHORITIES IN FIGHTING CRIME. THIS RESPONSE INDICATES THAT THE CURRENTLY WAGED CAMPAIGN FOR LAW AND ORDER IN THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF GERMANY IS VERY SUCCESSFUL. TABULAR DATA ARE INCLUDED; A 48-ITEM BIBLIOGRAPHY IS APPENDED. -- IN ITALIAN.