Component 3: Crime and Deviance (Crime statistics, Media) Flashcards
Define Crime
Behaviour which breaks the law
Define Deviance
Behaviour which is displayed of by most people in society
Give examples of the cultural specificity of crime and deviance
- Alcohol consumption
- Drug use
- Punishments
- Homosexuality
Give examples of the historical specificity of crime and deviance
Smoking, drink driving, decriminalisation of homosexuality
What are the three main sources of crime statistics used by sociologists?
- Police recorded statistics
- Victimisation surveys
- Self-report studies
According to police recorded statistics, has crime increased or decreased?
Decreased by 4%
According to police recorded statistics, what’s the general trend of crime?
Crime levels are relatively stable
According to police recorded statistics, which factor is given to explain the data?
Lockdown: increase in time spent at home and so fewer opportunities for theft and the closure of the night time economy.
According to police recorded statistics, which crimes have decreased?
Theft; criminal damage and arson; robbery
According to police recorded statistics, which crimes have increased?
Drug offences
According to the CSEW, has crime increased or decreased?
Decreased by 9%
According to the CSEW, what % of people were not victims of crime?
80.71%
According to the CSEW, for which crimes are people most likely to be a victim?
Fraud; Vehicle related theft; Criminal damage
According to the CSEW, for which crimes are people least likely to be a victim?
Robbery; theft from the person; violence; computer misuse
According to the CSEW, which social groups are more likely to be victims of crime?
LGBT; asian and mixed ethnic backgrounds; 16-24 year olds; disabled
According to the CSEW, which social groups are less likely to be victims of crime?
Over 75’s; white ethnic background; heterosexual
In terms of CAGE who is most likely to commit crimes?
C - Working Class
A - 30-39
G - Men
E - White, but BAME are overrepresentated
In terms of CAGE, who is most likely to be victim to crime?
C - Working class
A - Young
G - Women
E - White, BAME
Give strengths of Police recorded statistics
- 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
What are the criticisms of police recorded statistics?
- Dark figure of crime
- The police as filters
- The use of discretion
- Policing priorities
- The role of the public in reporting crime
Why may crimes not be reported by the public?
- 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
Outline what functionalists would say about police recorded statistics
- 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
Outline what Marxists would say about police recorded statistics
- 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
