Rural Australians have much tougher views on crime and punishment than people in the cities, likely due to fear, local "crime talk" and mistrust of the justice system.
As many regional towns grapple with youth crime, a study by Australian academics has confirmed that rural people have "significantly" more punitive attitudes.
Criminologists from Griffith University and the University of New England surveyed 520 people across Australia in March 2022, asking for responses to a series of statements like, "courts are too soft on offenders".
The average Australian held somewhat punitive views, but rural residents' attitudes were much tougher, according to the results published in the Journal of Rural Studies on Tuesday.
Metropolitan people's views were linked to an offender's individual actions, while rural residents were likely influenced by perceptions around rising crime rates and responses to lawlessness.
While total crime is greater in urban areas, crime rates are usually higher in the bush, leading to a feeling of being "closer" to crime in rural areas, the study said.
"This can contribute to an exaggerated sense of threat from crime as the community processes crime events more collectively," said the study's authors.
Low confidence in the criminal justice system was also generally linked to tougher views on crime.
Rural communities tend to have lower trust in police and the courts, possibly due to poorer access to services, staff shortages and infrequent court sittings.
"These feelings of neglect, lack of accessibility and low confidence more broadly, can lead to increased punitive sentiments as a solution to 'controlling' the crime problem."
People in small communities can also come to have shared social views on crime through greater proximity to both victims and perpetrators and exposure to "crime talk", the study said.
All states and territories have introduced crime crackdowns after spates of violence and lawlessness in regional areas.
NSW Police launched an operation in Dubbo, in the state's central west, in March to crackdown on violence in young offenders, after also introducing "post and boast" laws to penalise people who air their crimes online.
Similar laws were announced by the Victorian government on Tuesday, the last jurisdiction to do so.
The study findings could be valuable for criminal justice policymakers, the researchers said.
"Crime in rural communities continues to be a focal point of community and political attention," the study said.
"While policy efforts to prevent and control crime have long been urban-centric policymakers should consider the spatial dimensions and, indeed, uniqueness of crime and criminal justice in rural areas when addressing public perceptions, law and order demands, and strategies to mitigate crime problems."
