Media images are conveyed in many formats, including news reporting, documentaries, features, and entertainment programming. The media provide highly selective information and are a misleading foundation for public attitudes. The media feature violent crimes, which actually constitute a small percentage of crimes. Media portraits of criminals bear almost no resemblance to official statistics. The typical criminal portrayed in the media, particularly television, is older, affluent, and white, compared to the image presented in offical statistics of young multi-racial, lower class males. The media also focus on law enforcement and the initial stages of the justice process, with little attention to court processing and correctional activities. The research has produced varying results regarding the impact of the images on public opinion, although both direct and indirect effects have been indicated. The broader influence may be the transmission of the dominant ideology. This concept should form the basis for future research. Forty references are listed.