Warning: This article contains discussion of sexual assault which some readers may find distressing.
A criminal psychologist has had their say on the ethical debate surrounding the latest addition to the Monsters franchise, claiming The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story poses one particular 'problem' for true-crime fanatics.
The controversial nine-part series landed on Netflix last week, promising to recount the story of the Beverly Hills brothers who, back in 1989, violently murdered their parents after having been subjected to years of abuse.
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Lyle and Erik shot José and Mary Louise 'Kitty' Menendez at close range one night in their family home, later telling police that the mafia - with whom their father reportedly traded - had committed the crime.
It wasn't until a tape-recorded confession that Erik subsequently made to his therapist - in which he confessed to the murders - was seized by police that the pair ended up behind bars.
Ryan Murphy's disturbing series - which recounts both the murders and the televised court case, which itself became a national sensation - has since divided many viewers, including one criminal psychologist who believes the show could be seriously harming viewers' perception of crime by turning them into 'couch warriors'.
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Speaking to Tyla this week, psychological scientist Dr Julia Shaw - who is responsible for vital research into criminal behaviour - explained that, though she personally enjoys dramatic recreations of real-life crime cases, viewers should be careful not to become too invested in the story being told.
The globally-renowned expert - who also presents chilling True Crime series Killers Caught On Camera - began by telling us: "I like drama. The good and bad thing about drama is that you can really lean into the excitement of a crime.
"The bad aspect is that it can sensationalise crime."
Asked directly about the Menendez case, Dr Shaw went on to call out so-called 'armchair detectives' who have since been campaigning for the release of the real-life brothers behind bars, serving life since 1994.
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"I think [true crime recreations] are already swaying people’s opinions," she began. "I think that creators of true crime and fictional crime shows are absolutely having an impact on the way we think catching criminals works and how justice should work and what prison sentences should be."
Dr Shaw continued: "One thing I struggle with a lot in my true crime work is people inserting the word ‘only’ before discussing the length of a criminal’s sentence.
"They’ll say, ‘This person only got 15 years’, and every time, my reaction is ‘what do you mean, only?' Even if a person did terrible things, the sentencing is related to a much more complex picture of that person, as it should be."
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She went on to explain that the potential of these shows to turn viewers into 'couch warriors' contradicts the central goal of making society safer, as opposed to locking everybody up.
"They’re sitting there, feeling like they should be judging these criminals, and it’s having the opposite effect of empathy.
"There’s one side where you’re trying to empathise and relate to the people that commit these crimes, but there’s another side where you think, ‘well, given these peoples’ life circumstances, a long prison term is unjust’, or ‘they shouldn’t be in prison at all.'"
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Dr Shaw continued: "But those at home will never know the full extent to what happened or what was said in the trial, necessarily.
"They’ll never know all the details, the lawyers who’ve worked for years to make sure the case was well-researched, and so, audiences need to be careful not to think they have a better understanding of a case, just because a one-hour long episode claims to tell the whole story."
As well as her expertise in criminal science, Dr Shaw is known for presenting Killers Caught On Camera - the third series of which just landed on the True Crime Channel.
"The show is as it suggests," she explained, letting viewers in on what they can expect. "It's camera footage of people committing crime, including the moments before and after murders are committed.
"What you get is a real insight into how people live their lives, and because quite a lot of these cameras are inside people's homes or are dash-cams, the individuals involved aren't thinking about the footage as something that's going to be made publicly available.
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"So, you get a real insight into people's lives that you would never get otherwise, which is really interesting for me as a psychologist, because I go on to analyse some of that in the show."
Killers Caught On Camera airs on True Crime every Thursday at 10pm and Fridays at 2am.
True Crime is available on Freeview (67), Sky (146), Virgin (148) and Freesat (135).
The programme will also be available to stream on WATCH FREE UK after the linear premiere and True Crime UK on ITVX.
Topics: True Crime, Netflix, Social Media, Menendez Brothers, American Crime Story
Rhianna Benson