Crime Statistics Flashcards
What are 3 stregnths of using offical crime statistics?
Mostly free
Large sample
Easily obtainable
What are 2 weaknesses of using offical crime stats?
We dont have context for crimes
Some crimes may not be included
What are 3 strengths of victim studies?
It is first hand data , meaning we have context
Large samples
Demographic element
What are two weaknesses of using victim studies?
Not all victims will want to answer
Homeless and incarcerated individuals cant take part
What are two strengths of self-report studies?
We can evaulate the effectiveness of authorities
We learn about offenders (context)
What is a weakness and a theorist who explained said weakness of self report studies?
Participants may give in to social desirability bias
Ceronich et al - offenders are the least likely to complete surveys
What would Marxists say about offical crime statistics?
They wouldnt trust them as they are published and created by the ruling class
What is the interprevist view on secondary data?
They dislike it as it lacks context
What would feminists say about crime statistics?
They wouldn’t trust crime statistics as they believe they are sensationalised and unrealistic and not representive of female victims
What is the term for distorting statistics?
Massaging statistics
Which 4 main sources make up offical statistics?
Police records
Victim surveys - CSEW
Self report studies
Court and prision records
What are two strengths secondary data?
They often have a large sample - are generalisable
Most are free to acess - appropriate for our circumstance
What are two weaknesses of secondary data?
Lack of verstehen
May not be wholy relible due to multiple researchers recording info
What is the home offfice crime survey?
A survey compiled from 585 interviews minimum in each police force area (PFA)
Why is the home office crime survey valid?
It has valid as it has open questions and a protected self-complete section
