Component 3: Crime and Deviance (Crime statistics, Media)

Question 1

Define Crime

Answer 1

Behaviour which breaks the law

Question 2

Define Deviance

Answer 2

Behaviour which is displayed of by most people in society

Question 3

Give examples of the cultural specificity of crime and deviance

Answer 3

• Alcohol consumption
• Drug use
• Punishments
• Homosexuality

Question 4

Give examples of the historical specificity of crime and deviance

Answer 4

Smoking, drink driving, decriminalisation of homosexuality

Question 5

What are the three main sources of crime statistics used by sociologists?

Answer 5

1. Police recorded statistics
2. Victimisation surveys
3. Self-report studies

Question 6

According to police recorded statistics, has crime increased or decreased?

Answer 6

Decreased by 4%

Question 7

According to police recorded statistics, what’s the general trend of crime?

Answer 7

Crime levels are relatively stable

Question 8

According to police recorded statistics, which factor is given to explain the data?

Answer 8

Lockdown: increase in time spent at home and so fewer opportunities for theft and the closure of the night time economy.

Question 9

According to police recorded statistics, which crimes have decreased?

Answer 9

Theft; criminal damage and arson; robbery

Question 10

According to police recorded statistics, which crimes have increased?

Answer 10

Drug offences

Question 11

According to the CSEW, has crime increased or decreased?

Answer 11

Decreased by 9%

Question 12

According to the CSEW, what % of people were not victims of crime?

Answer 12

80.71%

Question 13

According to the CSEW, for which crimes are people most likely to be a victim?

Answer 13

Fraud; Vehicle related theft; Criminal damage

Question 14

According to the CSEW, for which crimes are people least likely to be a victim?

Answer 14

Robbery; theft from the person; violence; computer misuse

Question 15

According to the CSEW, which social groups are more likely to be victims of crime?

Answer 15

LGBT; asian and mixed ethnic backgrounds; 16-24 year olds; disabled

Question 16

According to the CSEW, which social groups are less likely to be victims of crime?

Answer 16

Over 75’s; white ethnic background; heterosexual

Question 17

In terms of CAGE who is most likely to commit crimes?

Answer 17

C - Working Class
A - 30-39
G - Men
E - White, but BAME are overrepresentated

Question 18

In terms of CAGE, who is most likely to be victim to crime?

Answer 18

C - Working class
A - Young
G - Women
E - White, BAME

Question 19

Give strengths of Police recorded statistics

Answer 19

• They are easy to access and have already been compiled
• They are up to date and standardised
• They cover the whole population and go back many years, so trends and patterns can be identified and compared
• The ethical problems of studying criminal behaviour in other ways are not an issue
• An important source of local crime statistics

Question 20

What are the criticisms of police recorded statistics?

Answer 20

• Dark figure of crime
• The police as filters
• The use of discretion
• Policing priorities
• The role of the public in reporting crime

Question 21

Why may crimes not be reported by the public?

Answer 21

• There may be a lack of awareness that a crime has taken place
• The victim may be relatively powerless and frightened of the consequences of reporting
• The victim may not want to harm the offender
• Victims may be too embarrassed to complain to the police
• The offence may seem too trivial
• There is no apparent victim

Question 22

Outline what functionalists would say about police recorded statistics

Answer 22

• Focus on strengths because they trust the quantitative produced by the police as they see it as reliable and representative
• There is a value consensus in society, so would see the police as representing all of us, and not question their motives. This means that they accept the ‘typical criminal’ presented in the crime figures, focusing on young white males in particular

Question 23

Outline what Marxists would say about police recorded statistics

Answer 23

• Focus on the weaknesses because they see the recorded figures as a tool used to control the working class and justify the control and oppression
• Figures represent the power of capitalism to define what and who is criminal. The police crime figures reflect the criminalisation of the working class, ignoring the criminal behaviour of the uling class