Crime and Deviance - Statistics

Question 1

Trends in crime since the 1930s

Answer 1

1930s - 1950s
- Gradual Rise In Crime – end of the war, returning soldiers feeling frustrated. Rise in standard of living. Leading to relative deprivation.

1950 – 1980
- Steeper Rise In Crime – Time of economic growth and social anomie with changes in the role of women and wider society.

1980 – Mid 1990
- Rapid increase – Time of economic recession which led to higher relative deprivation and unemployment.

Mid 1990 - 2016
- Gradual annual decline – Could be due to changes in the reporting, New types of crime which are not included. E.g. Cyber crime

Question 2

Official statistics

Answer 2

Those which are collected by government agencies and usually published by the Office of National Statistics (ONS)

Question 3

Official crime rate

Answer 3

The Official Crime Rate is the statistics that are complied using police, court and prison records.

Question 4

The British Crime Survey

Answer 4

The British Crime Survey are the statistics which were complied through victim surveys and self report survey’s. 50,000 people over the age of 16 are asked annually if they have been a victim or crime.

Question 5

Sources of crime statistics - Police Recorded Crime

Answer 5

Police Recorded Crime -
- These are the statistics compiled based on the reports filed by the police.
- These are crimes which are investigated by the police.
- They may not end in a conviction or court case.

Evaluation - Not all crimes that are
reported to the police are
recorded by the police.

Question 6

Sources of crime statistics - Victim Surveys

Answer 6

• Part of the British Crime Survey, 50,000 people are asked if they were a victim of crime in the past 12
  months.

Evaluation -
- People don’t always know they are victims of crime.
- May record crimes as something different to the police.
- Relies on memory.

Question 7

Sources of crime statistics - Court records

Answer 7

• Compiled using the court records of which cases are taken to prosecution. They include information about the defendants, victims and types of crime as well as the results of case (Guilty or Not
  Guilty)

Evaluation -
- Only records crimes that are taken to court. Crimes can be reported and not taken to court for various reasons
such as lack of evidence or a pre-trial deal.

Question 8

Sources of crime statistics - Prison Records

Answer 8

• Looks at the composition of the prison system including: Ethnic makeup, gender, age and class.
• Also looks at length of sentence and recidivism rates.

Evaluation -
- Not all crimes are punished with a custodial sentence.
- Middle class criminals are more likely to get a fine or suspended sentence. This can lead to court records being biased towards the working class

Question 9

Sources of crime statistics - Self-report survey

Answer 9

• Self report surveys ask people if they have committed a crime in the
  last 12 months. These are conducted along side victim surveys annually.
  Around 50,000 people over 16 are asked.

Evaluation - People may not know if they have committed a crime as
some crimes are not seen as real crime(e.g. Speeding), also relies on memory and truthfulness.

Question 10

Reasons for unreported crimes

Answer 10

• Embarrassment
• Fear
• Don’t know they are a victim of crime.
• Deal with it themselves
• Distrust the police

Question 11

Reasons for unrecorded crimes

Answer 11

• Not all crimes are entered into official figures
• Police
• Priorities/targeting
• Status of the victim
• Work Relations

Question 12

Reasons for increasing crime rates between the 1950s and 1990s

Answer 12

• Better policing (advanced technology, investigative methods, DNA etc)
• Additional crimes reported/recorded (cyber, discrimination, terrorism etc)
• More laws
• More state intervention (political promise to eradicate crime!)
• More victims (population increasing so more people to commit and experience crime)
• Less willingness to ignore it - more reported
• Victim confidence to pursue reporting and conviction

Question 13

Crime is down by 9% in England and Wales

Answer 13

• This can be claimed to be because of the work of politicians, but is more likely due to changes in society

Question 14

Two types of data

Answer 14

1) Official Crime Rate
- Police recorded crime, court and prison records

2) British Crime Survey
- Victim surveys - speaks to people to get statistics, and includes crimes not reported to police
- Self-report surveys completed by prisoners in custody

Question 15

Two measures of crime

Answer 15

• Police recorded crime (4.5m to 5.2m)
• Crime estimated by the England and Wales Crime Survey (5.8m excluding fraud, 10.8m including fraud)

Question 16

The dark figure of crime statistics

Answer 16

• OCR severely underestimates the real and true crime rate
• The BCS suggests the true crime level is at least twice the official crime rate
• The difference between the official and real CR is referred to as the ‘dark side’ of crime statistics

Question 17

The under-recording of crime - Police as ‘Filters’

Answer 17

• Moore, Aiken and Chapman (2000) see the police as filters, who only record some of the crimes reported to them
• Depends on the seriousness of the crime, police discretion, classification of the crime, social status of the victim and work relations and promotions

Question 18

Official crime statistics are a social construction because ->

Answer 18

• It is difficult to measure
• There is wide agreement within a given culture regarding what constitutes a crime
• There is disagreement within the same culture when it comes to aspects of the sentencing, especially periphery issues
• Criminal statistics are a social construction as they are a product of social processes
• There are fundamental differences between cultures to what constitutes crime

Question 19

Strengths of victim studies

Answer 19

• Includes where people feel a crime has been committed
• Tells the police crimes they don’t know about from elsewhere
• There is anonymity
• Validity

Question 20

Weakness of victim studies

Answer 20

• Some crimes are less likely to be reported by victims e.g. sexual and domestic
• Risk of repeat reporting
• Relies on people’s memories
• Some crimes don’t have a victim
• Representativeness

Question 21

Strengths of self-report studies

Answer 21

• Includes where people feel a crime has been committed
• Tells the police crimes they don’t know about from elsewhere
• There is anonymity
• Validity

Question 22

Weaknesses of self-report studies

Answer 22

• Wrongly categorised crimes can occur
• Relies on people’s memories
• Representativeness
• Some ‘shameful’ crimes may be reported here’ (e.g. drug use)

Question 23

Theoretical perspectives and crime statistics - Functionalism / New Right / Right Realism

Answer 23

Functionalists accept official statistics at face value as they see them as reliable and valid sources of data.

Question 24

Theoretical perspectives and crime statistics - Marxism and Neo-Marxism

Answer 24

• Statistics show a biased view of crime as they are constructed by the ruling class.
• They also ignore white collar and corporate crime which therefore suggest criminals are working class.

Question 25

Theoretical perspectives and crime statistics - Interactionism and Labelling

Answer 25

See statistics as a social construction and only useful for identifying stereotypes and
assumptions.

Question 26

Theoretical perspectives and crime statistics - Feminism

Answer 26

Statistics under-represent the extent of female crime and crimes against women such as domestic violence and rape.

Question 27

Theoretical perspectives and crime statistics - Left Realism

Answer 27

Statistics are broadly correct but they under represent white collar and corporate crime and exaggerate working class crime particularly those by ethnic minorities.