Crime myths as defined by Kappeler and Potter, is described as “and misleading pieces of information that nevertheless are accepted as fact.” (Sacco & Kennedy, 2010). A great example of this would be the statement that most of crimes that do occur are extreme crimes such as rape or murder. An urban legend, however, is described as “highly captivating and plausible but mainly fictional oral narratives that are widely told as true stories.” (Sacco & Kennedy, 2010). An example of this would be the warnings of gang activities that are shown on the internet through websites such as Facebook.
In one’s community both crime myths and urban legends are common, particularly in communities with young families or older families. There is a very popular