AC1.2 Explain The Reasons That Certain Crimes Are Unreported Flashcards
How does a crime qualify to be reported?
The law must actually be broken
Someone must be aware the event actually happened
It must be reported
Recorded as a crime by the police
Why are crimes not reported?
For personal reasons + social and cultural reasons
What are the personal reasons ?
Fear
Shame
Disinterest
Not affected
Explain fear
A personal reason
If the witness knows the offender they may be worried and fearful about the consequences not just from themself but they may not want the person to be convicted. They may fear that the police aren’t going to do anything anyway.
Explain Shame
A personal reason
The victim may be embarrassed and may not want to appear vulnerable. They may be worried about negative attitudes and gender expectations
Explain disinterest
Personal reason
Witnesses may not care or realise that they are witnessing a crime. the crime could be victimless and people are worried about the fact the police not take interest because it’s a low-level crime
Explain not affected
Personal reason
Unless it’s directly affecting someone, the witness may feel that they don’t need to report the crime such as victimless crimes . Sometimes the victim is not affected directly, and they believe that it’s got nothing to do with them.
Explain lack of knowledge
Social and cultural reasons
They may be unaware that they are witnessing a crime and don’t even think about reporting. Also, they may not know how to report the crime.
Explain complexity
Social and cultural reasons
Sometimes witnesses come become confused in and are not aware which part of what they have witnessed is a crime crime. Some crimes are hard to find such as white-collar crimes, which are usually hidden behind a large game, and take place in the workplace. Some crimes may never be discovered.
Explain lack of media interest
Social and cultural reasons
Media is a huge influence and it’s where we learn about most new worthy events so crimes may not be covered on the media and as a result people aren’t aware that they are actually a crime. Media is used to display newsworthy crimes and if the crime is it newsworthy the public tend not be aware .
Explain lack of current public concern
Social and cultural reasons
Some crimes do not concern certain people for example, smoking cannabis, lots of people have different views on whether it’s okay to smoke.Also crimes may not attract enough attention of the nearby society or the crime could be victimless or a small crime that nobody knows has taken place
Explain culture-bound crime
Social and cultural reasons
Different beliefs and religions lead to divided views on what people think it’s a crime. For example, honour killings or FGM may be accepted in certain community such as the Asian and Middle Eastern communities, but it’s still against the law. However, people in those communities are less likely to report it because of the fear that reporting these crimes may find themselves in danger. These cultural norms means that they’re often not reported, and they help to cover up the crimes.
