1 - Defining and Measuring Crime Flashcards
Define crime
Any act (or lack of act) that violates the law and is punishable by the state. It is behaviour that is harmful to the individual, a group or society as a whole.
Why is it difficult to define crime?
What is considered a crime in one culture might not be judged as a crime in another. In the UK having more than one wife (polygamy) is illegal (bigamy) However, in some cultures it is socially acceptable because it is a common and legal practice.
Definitions of crime change over time. Parents smacking their children was outlawed in the UK in 2004 with the introduction of the Children’s Act. Previous generations considered corporal punishment to be an effective and acceptable way to discipline their children. Using the cane in state schools was only outlawed in 1986, and in independent schools in 1998.
Homosexuality was considered a crime in the UK until 1967, long after other countries (France, Belgium and the Netherlands) had leaglised it. This is an example of how some behaviours judged to be criminal may be historically and culturally specific. Homosexuality is still illegal in 72 countries and in eight countries it can result in the death penalty.
How can crime be measured?
Official Statistics
Victims Surverys
Offender Surveys
Outline how official statistics are used to measure crime
Government records of the total number of crimes reported to the police and recorded in the official figures.
These are published by the Home Office on an annual basis
Useful ‘snapshot’ of the number of crimes occurring across the country and in specific regions.
Evaluate the use of official statistics
+ Official statistics allow the government to develop crime prevention strategies and policing initiatives, as well as direct resources to those areas most in need.
- Some commentators suggest that so many crimes go unreported by victims or unrecorded by police that only around 25% of offences are included in the official statistics. The 75% of crimes that are not reported are referred to as the dark figure of crime. Reasons for crimes not being reported include mistrust of the police and victims fear of reprisals.
How are victim surveys used to measure crime
Record people’s experiences of crime over a specific period.
The Crime Survey for England and Wales asks people to document the crimes they have been a victim of in the past year. In order to compile the figures 50,000 households are randomly selected to take part in the survey and this has enabled the Office for National Statistics to produce crime figures based on victim surveys since 1982.
In 2009 a separate survey was introduced to record the experiences of younger people aged 10-15, and the complete results (from both surveys) are published on an annual bases.
Evaluate the use of victim surveys to measure crime
+ More likely to include details of crimes that were not reported to the police; they are less likely to conceal the dark figure. In 2006/7 official statistics suggested a 2% decrease in crime whereas the Crime Survey for England and Wales suggested a 3% increase.
- Rely on respondents having an accurate memory of the crimes they have been a victim of. Telescoping can occur when victims remember an event as happening in the past year when it occurred earlier (perhaps because the trauma is still fresh in their minds).
How are offender surveys used to measure crime
Involve individuals volunteering details of the number and type of crimes they have committed.
These surveys are given to groups of people likely to be offenders based on risk factors such as previous convictions, age range, social background etc.
The Offender Crime and Justice Survey (OCJS), which ran from 2003-2006, was the first national self-report survey of its kind in England and Wales. As well as measuring self-reported offending the OCJS looked at indicators of repeat offending, trends in the prevalence of offending, drug and alcohol use, the role of co- offenders and the relationship between perpetrators and victims.
Evaluate the use of offender surveys to measure crime
\+ Provide insight into how many people are responsible for committing certain offences (a small group or an individual may have committed many crimes). - The targeted nature of the survey means that certain types of crime (such as burglary) are over-represented. Whereas, middle class crimes, such as tax evasion, are unlikely to be included.
