Defining And Measuring Crime

Question 1

Universal concepts:

Answer 1

Despite the variations in how crimes are identified there are some behaviours that are universally regarded as an acceptable i.e. murder, rape

However there are still some cultural variations, i.e. French concept of ‘crime of passion’ may lead to a more lenient sentence for murder

Question 2

Official Statistics:

Walker et al. (2006)

Answer 2

Only a certain number of crimes that reported to the police. For instance the victim may be too ashamed and thus not report it

Walker found that only 42% of reported crimes in the British Crime Survey were reported to the police = dark figure of crime

Question 3

Victim Surveys:

Answer 3

Victim surveys provide information about the dark figure of crime. They may also be more consistent than official statistics when making comparisons over time.

However there is an issue with sampling because only about 75% respond and therefore the final sample is biased (those who wish to uphold the law)

Question 4

Offender Surveys:

Answer 4

Any self report method is subject to problems regarding a lack of accuracy. People may underplay their criminal involvement and behaviour