3.2 Crime & Deviance, Police Stats Flashcards
What is crime?
A wrong act punishable by law e.g. Robbery
What is deviance?
Breaking social norms e.g. Wearing a bin bag to work
What is social order?
General conformity to norms and values
What is social control?
The processes, mechanisms and institutions persuading us to conform
Give an example of formal social control?
Police - laws
Give an example of informal social control-
E.g. Gossip
Functionalists see social order and control as what and why?
Good
Without it there wouldn’t be value consensus and society would fall apart
The new right see society as already falling apart so what is needed?
Strict rules and control
Marxists and feminists see social order and control as just enforcing what?
The norms of one group at the expense of others
(Official stats) according to the stats who are most likely to commit crime?
Young working class males
(Official stats) who produce the official crime stats?
Police
Courts
Prisons
(Official stats) what are the 5 stages of a crime getting in to the stats?
- Detection (recognising the crime)
- Reporting crime
- Police record the crime
- Crime cleared up (solved)
- Offender caught & punished
(Police stats) strengths - they are easy to what?
Access as they are already compiled
(Police stats) strengths - the police figures are up to date and what s?
Standardised
(Police stats) strengths - it is easy to see what?
Trends and make comparisons
(Police stats) strengths - they are large scale covering what?
The whole population- representative
(Police stats) strengths - why can we see trends and patterns overtime?
They go back many years
(Police stats) strengths - they don’t raise what type of issue?
Ethical issues
(Police stats) weaknesses - what crimes do the stats not include?
Undetected and unrecorded crime
(Police stats) weaknesses - why might victims not report crime to the police?
Embarrassment
Or they don’t detect a crime has been committed
(Police stats) weaknesses - police have what d over recording crime?
Discretion
(Police stats) weaknesses - why might police not record a crime?
Petty crime
Or reoccurring calls e.g. Same couple having fights
(Police stats) weaknesses - the stats don’t provide a complete picture of what?
Each crime or criminal e.g. Employment status
(Police stats) weaknesses - why may accuracy of the stats vary between areas?
Crackdown on certain areas or particular targets
(Police stats) weaknesses - if a crime has been recently publicised what is likely to occur?
More reports of this crime as people recognise it as a crime
(Police stats) weaknesses - they aren’t always comparable over time as changes can occur in what?
Laws or definitions
(Police stats) weaknesses - why might some crimes disappear from the stats?
Pressure on the police to meet certain targets
(Stats) what is the dark figure of crime?
Undetected, unreported and unrecorded crime not included within the stats e.g. Petty theft, assault, domestic violence, rape
(Manipulation of police stats) what is coughing?
Police encourage offender to admit to a series of less serious offences in return of a reduced sentence to improve clear up rate
(Manipulation of police stats) what is cuffing?
Crimes reported and initially recorded are removed from the stats
(Manipulation of police stats) why might cuffing occur?
Officers deciding they didn’t believe the complaint
Reassessing the offence to improve figures
(Manipulation of police stats) skewing involves forces putting what?
Resources into particular areas or crimes affecting other areas
What did James Patrick gave evidence to the parliamentary committee over his concerns about what?
Manipulation of police crime stats
Serious sexual offences were no crimed
What happened to James patrick?
Disciplined by the police force and left his job
What perspectives would believe the stats?
Functionalists
New right
What perspectives would question the stats?
Marxists
Interactionists
