lauren rutter
lauren rutter
Embedded Files
Crime + Context
Crime + Context
Research Question
How might we create a visual narrative that highlights systemic flaws in the criminal justice process?
Project Overview
Every 3 seconds, someone is arrested in the United States. This is a startling figure, one that begs the question: what constitutes crime? Do such drastic arrest rates reflect a free society? Is it the accused’s actions, or is it their intent? Do we have a civic duty to consider the gray areas in criminal justice? I am curious about how we collectively handle situations where our ethics and values contradict predetermined legal action — cases those where there are no purely good or bad actors, but instead complicated circumstances that require instinctual actions and reactions in moments of exceptional need.
My project explores the criminal justice system and the context in which crime occurs. I don’t have an answer for many of the questions I’ve posed; instead, I want to embark on a collaborative sensemaking process that considers what exists and challenges the audience to reexamine how we define, view, and persecute crime.
Infographics / Design for Social Change / Visual Narrative
Audience/Users
Audience/Users
I don’t have a specific audience but instead chose a more explorative approach that could capture a wider range of viewers and users.
Process Overview
Process Overview
I researched our existing legal system, from what constitutes crime to how it is investigated, prosecuted, and sentenced
I researched flaws in the legal process, primarily with law enforcement and jury selection
I researched specific court cases to identify one that I felt encompassed my biggest concerns with our justice system
I identified the case of Cyntoia Brown and selected it as the primary experience for my experience map
I developed a visual identity and a suite of deliverables to reflect my research findings
Solution components
Solution components
I designed the following components as part of my solution:
Tennessee vs. Brown experience map
Crime infographic
Jury selection infographic
Adjudication process model
Visual identity guideline
Success Criteria
and My Solution
Success Criteria
and My Solution
After my design process, for my solution to be a success, I know it needs to:
Clearly explain core processes and procedures in the United States criminal justice system
Aid the audience in understanding both the complexity of our legal system and the need to challenge what exists
Accurately depict the events leading up to and covered in Tennessee vs. Brown case in a way that challenges the audience to make sense rather than find a clear solution/resolution
Encourage the audience to challenge their own perceptions or misconceptions about crime and those convicted
Develop a visual style that evokes a sense of credibility and trustworthiness, drawing inspiration from newsprint design
DESIGN CRITERIA 1
DESIGN CRITERIA 1
Clearly explain core processes and procedures in the United States criminal justice system.
Clearly explain core processes and procedures in the United States criminal justice system.
I conducted extensive research on aspects of our legal system, from crime and investigation to adjudication to prosecution and corrections, then condensed my information in a more digestible format. I chose to focus a large part of my project on the jury selection process because it was designed to safeguard the accused from judicial bias, yet legal teams select jurors based on characteristics that they believe will win their case as opposed to traits that indicate fairness and equity in judgment.
DESIGN CRITERIA 2
DESIGN CRITERIA 2
Aid the audience in understanding both the complexity of our legal system and the need to challenge what exists.
Aid the audience in understanding both the complexity of our legal system and the need to challenge what exists.
I selected key statistics and data that highlight the harshly punitive measures currently in place in the United States. We have the highest imprisoned population in the world, and data shows that the majority of arrests are for drug-related crimes, while less than 5% of crimes are violent. Since the inception of the War on Drugs, arrest rates have sky-rocketed, but the adjudication process rarely includes rehabilitative or restorative measures that address root causes of drug use.
DESIGN CRITERIA 3
DESIGN CRITERIA 3
Accurately depict the events leading up to and covered in Tennessee vs. Brown case in a way that challenges the audience to make sense rather than find a clear solution/resolution.
Accurately depict the events leading up to and covered in Tennessee vs. Brown case in a way that challenges the audience to make sense rather than find a clear solution/resolution.
In my sensemaking process, I researched relevant legal cases as a means to help visualize my research for my audience. I selected the case of Cyntoia Brown because I feel it summarizes many of the gray areas in the legal process, then created an experience map based on court transcripts from her waiver hearing , initial trial, and appeal, as well as two documentaries that cover the events leading up to, following, and covered in her trial, and her autobiography Free Cyntoia: My Search for Redemption in the American Prison System.
DESIGN CRITERIA 4
DESIGN CRITERIA 4
Encourage the audience to challenge their own perceptions or misconceptions about crime and those convicted.
Encourage the audience to challenge their own perceptions or misconceptions about crime and those convicted.
In order to retain credibility and reduce bias in the message to my audience, my experience map retained fidelity to direct quotes from official court transcripts. Information that I felt would have altered the jury's decision was included but redacted, a way of visualizing how evidence and witness testimony is communicated to the jury. I wanted to supplement this with an accompanying visualization that gives context to the events that led to her arrest and conviction. While I do not intend to persuade my audience, I believe that any situation requiring judgment deserves fair and accurate representation; in our current system, defendants rarely take the stand due to the threat of being cross-examined. Testifying can be acutely stressful and overwhelming, and prosecuting attorneys often capitalize on this stress to incriminate the accused and create doubt in their credibility. Because of this, few people who are accused of serious crimes have the chance to tell their story or defend themselves to their peers, relying instead on defense attorneys to speak for them.
DESIGN CRITERIA 5
DESIGN CRITERIA 5
Develop a visual style that evokes a sense of credibility and trustworthiness, drawing inspiration from newsprint design.
Develop a visual style that evokes a sense of credibility and trustworthiness, drawing inspiration from newsprint design.
For my visual style, I wanted to evoke a tone that was stark and impactful while retaining credibility and trustworthiness. I think that we have lost a certain level of credibility in the digital age, so I developed a design system that pays homage to old-school newsprint and journalism. I chose very classic typefaces and developed a system that I could use in a variety of applications. I chose colors most often associated with crime and justice and emulated imperfections common in printing processes to add texture and build on the integrity of my visual style. I didn't want my style to become purely decorative, so I coded a complex system for personal reference that I then translated across a suite of deliverables in a way that would build recognition and reliability with my audience. I felt it was important that my deliverables could be viewed singularly as well as in a set, so I had to maintain high fidelity to my system and continuously catalogue and remap how I treated types, colors, and assets to retain cohesiveness.
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