Public perceptions of crime and criminal stereotypes

Crime and Criminals

Most feared crimes

Ten responses obtained on the crimes that come to mind when one thinks of crime comprise of:

Vandalism

Rape and molestation

Physical or emotional attack on person rights or damaging personal property

Murder and Rape

Rape

Beating up old people

Murder and theft

Crime is a problem for all communities, this is widespread and no one can ever say they live in a crime free neighborhood

Murder

Murder

From the responses on the crimes that come quickly to mind, murder and rape are the most common crime mentioned by the respondents. These crimes are mentioned by most of the respondents since they seem to have a greater on the sanctity of human life. From the perspective of human life and morality in the society, it is appreciable that the moral guide and rules are meant to safe guard human life. This being a common understanding and regular teaching in the society, anything that goes against such understanding will be highly recognized. This is the reason why murder and rape are the most commonly mentioned crimes by the respondents.

Among the crimes that were not named by the respondents are embezzlement, forgery, false Pretenses, receipt of stolen goods and tax evasion. This types of crime fall under the general category of white-collar crimes and they attract little public concern. The likely grounds for these are that these. crimes have a lesser bearing on the value people place on human life. These crimes are also undertaken in deeper secrecy such that they are not commonly encountered in the normal day-to-day life.

Pictorial description of the criminal

Responses on the criminal description obtained show that a criminal is an individual who is.

1. Dirty and crazy

2. Dirty sloppy - messy

3. Sociopathic

4. Dirty, twisted

5. My rapist, his face is exactly what I see when I see any crime, brawn hair, gross.

6. Kids who did not have a good upbringing, living with parents addicted to drugs.

7. Mentally unstable and dirty

8. Shady looking individual

9. Dirty living in poor properties in underdeveloped cities

10. Sociopathic, strong, and dirty