3.2 Crime & Deviance, Police Stats

Question 1

What is crime?

Answer 1

A wrong act punishable by law e.g. Robbery

Question 2

What is deviance?

Answer 2

Breaking social norms e.g. Wearing a bin bag to work

Question 3

What is social order?

Answer 3

General conformity to norms and values

Question 4

What is social control?

Answer 4

The processes, mechanisms and institutions persuading us to conform

Question 5

Give an example of formal social control?

Answer 5

Police - laws

Question 6

Give an example of informal social control-

Answer 6

E.g. Gossip

Question 7

Functionalists see social order and control as what and why?

Answer 7

Good

Without it there wouldn’t be value consensus and society would fall apart

Question 8

The new right see society as already falling apart so what is needed?

Answer 8

Strict rules and control

Question 9

Marxists and feminists see social order and control as just enforcing what?

Answer 9

The norms of one group at the expense of others

Question 10

(Official stats) according to the stats who are most likely to commit crime?

Answer 10

Young working class males

Question 11

(Official stats) who produce the official crime stats?

Answer 11

Police
Courts
Prisons

Question 12

(Official stats) what are the 5 stages of a crime getting in to the stats?

Answer 12

1. Detection (recognising the crime)
2. Reporting crime
3. Police record the crime
4. Crime cleared up (solved)
5. Offender caught & punished

Question 13

(Police stats) strengths - they are easy to what?

Answer 13

Access as they are already compiled

Question 14

(Police stats) strengths - the police figures are up to date and what s?

Answer 14

Standardised

Question 15

(Police stats) strengths - it is easy to see what?

Answer 15

Trends and make comparisons

Question 16

(Police stats) strengths - they are large scale covering what?

Answer 16

The whole population- representative

Question 17

(Police stats) strengths - why can we see trends and patterns overtime?

Answer 17

They go back many years

Question 18

(Police stats) strengths - they don’t raise what type of issue?

Answer 18

Ethical issues

Question 19

(Police stats) weaknesses - what crimes do the stats not include?

Answer 19

Undetected and unrecorded crime

Question 20

(Police stats) weaknesses - why might victims not report crime to the police?

Answer 20

Embarrassment

Or they don’t detect a crime has been committed

Question 21

(Police stats) weaknesses - police have what d over recording crime?

Answer 21

Discretion

Question 22

(Police stats) weaknesses - why might police not record a crime?

Answer 22

Petty crime

Or reoccurring calls e.g. Same couple having fights

Question 23

(Police stats) weaknesses - the stats don’t provide a complete picture of what?

Answer 23

Each crime or criminal e.g. Employment status

Question 24

(Police stats) weaknesses - why may accuracy of the stats vary between areas?

Answer 24

Crackdown on certain areas or particular targets

Question 25

(Police stats) weaknesses - if a crime has been recently publicised what is likely to occur?

Answer 25

More reports of this crime as people recognise it as a crime

Question 26

(Police stats) weaknesses - they aren't always comparable over time as changes can occur in what?

Answer 26

Laws or definitions

Question 27

(Police stats) weaknesses - why might some crimes disappear from the stats?

Answer 27

Pressure on the police to meet certain targets

Question 28

(Stats) what is the dark figure of crime?

Answer 28

Undetected, unreported and unrecorded crime not included within the stats e.g. Petty theft, assault, domestic violence, rape

Question 29

(Manipulation of police stats) what is coughing?

Answer 29

Police encourage offender to admit to a series of less serious offences in return of a reduced sentence to improve clear up rate

Question 30

(Manipulation of police stats) what is cuffing?

Answer 30

Crimes reported and initially recorded are removed from the stats

Question 31

(Manipulation of police stats) why might cuffing occur?

Answer 31

Officers deciding they didn't believe the complaint | Reassessing the offence to improve figures

Question 32

(Manipulation of police stats) skewing involves forces putting what?

Answer 32

Resources into particular areas or crimes affecting other areas

Question 33

What did James Patrick gave evidence to the parliamentary committee over his concerns about what?

Answer 33

Manipulation of police crime stats | Serious sexual offences were no crimed

Question 34

What happened to James patrick?

Answer 34

Disciplined by the police force and left his job

Question 35

What perspectives would believe the stats?

Answer 35

Functionalists | New right

Question 36

What perspectives would question the stats?

Answer 36

Marxists | Interactionists