1. perceptions

crime measurement - scotland ku

• Police Scotland recorded around 300,000 crimes in 23/24, SCJS estimated that there had been 900,000 more.

• The disparity shows that any argument about perceptions must account for the fact that the standard itself is inaccurate.

crime measurement - scotland ku 2

• The SCJS found violent crime fell 30% since 2008, yet 50% of adults believed it had increased.

• Individuals rely on media to understand national trends rather than direct experience, creating inaccurate perceptions through secondhand information.

crime measurement - USA ku

• BJS shows US murder rate fell substantially in 2023, yet 60% of adults believed there was more murder than 2022.

• Shows negative perceptions of crime are not purely cultural but widespread globally

media (folk devils and moral panics) - definition

Stanley Cohen's theory argues that a specific group is constructed as a scapegoat, triggering disproportionate responses from media and politicians relative to the actual risk.

media (folk devils and moral panics) - UK ku

• Newspaper headlines framed Rotherham CSE offending as distinctively Pakistani/Muslim, despite Home Office research showing most child sexual abuse groups are composed of white men.

• Shows how moral panic becomes racialised through generalisation, with distortion instrumentalised for political ends.

media (folk devils and moral panics) - USA ku

• Political and media rhetoric frames Black Americans as inherently violent, contributing to systemic over-policing and mass incarceration of Black communities.

• suggests folk devils and moral panic are a recurring mechanism through which crime is distorted for political motivations.

media (if it bleeds it leads) - definition

• violent crimes are overrepresented in coverage due to their narrative appeal

• creating a populist way of reporting where some crimes appear more common and threatening than they are.

media (if it bleeds it leads) - UK ku

• Among 10-17 year olds, almost 40% worry about crime and fear theft or assault, linked directly to social media exposure to crime content.

• Shows how media distortion is also the repetition and unethical framing of events which displaces reality.

media (if it bleeds it leads) - Canada ku

• A Canadian study showed violent crime accounted for 7% of actual crime but half of all media stories.

• Shows distortion is a structural feature of media across multiple countries rather than a cultural anomaly.

underestimation - definition

• Rape and domestic abuse remain significantly underreported due to stigma, fear and normalisation

• Leads to victim blaming where the crime is perceived as normal so that the victim is blamed rather than the perpetrator.

underestimation - UK ku

• Out of around 70,000 rapes recorded by police in 2024, only 3% were charged.

• Shows how these crimes are minimised despite their severity. Myths such as false allegations being common shape both public perception and institutional response.

underestimation - Japan ku

• When women are physically or sexually abused by partners in Japan, they tend to refrain from reporting it compared to Europe where women are more inclined to contact authorities.

• Shows that while cultural context shapes the extent of underreporting, the concept itself is universal and structural

conclusion

• Not all perceptions are irrational, fear reflects lived experiences and treatment of marginalised communities

• comparators show factors are systemic rather than cultural.

• Greater emphasis on protecting victims and investigating structural causes is needed.

• Society's perception is shaped more by media and political narratives than by the reality of crime itself.