A COMMUNITY'S OPINION ON CRIME: SOME PRELIMINARY FINDINGS.

The article describes how members of a small community interpreted the crime situation and compares this interpretation with both official and newspaper accounts. The findings, reported in this article, are part of a larger research project on crime and criminals, conducted in a small town in Western Australia. Seventy eight percent of the respondents in the project indicated that they read the local newspaper. During the period April to November 1976, five hundred and fifty three separate items on crime were published, and only sixteen days were free from any reference to crime. An average of fifty-one local crimes were mentioned in the newspaper each month. Estimates were sought on the amount of crime committed and the number convicted for stealing, vandalism, prostitution, violent crime, fraud and rape.