Defining and measuring crime

Question 1

crime

Answer 1

an act committed in violation of the law where the consequence of conviction is punishment (e.g. imprisonment)

Question 2

Problems in defining crime

list

Answer 2

Cultural issues

Historical issues

Question 3

Cultural issues

definition

Answer 3

culturally relative because social attitudes/mores differ between cultures

Question 4

Cultural issues

example

Answer 4

└e.g. 2014 forced marriage illegal in UK

└legal in other cultures

Question 5

Historical issues

definition

Answer 5

time relative because attitudes change according to historical context

Question 6

Historical issues

example

Answer 6

└e.g. children’s act in 2004

└parents can’t smack their child

Question 7

Ways of measuring crime

list

Answer 7

Official statistics
Victim surveys
Offender surveys

Question 8

Official statistics

Answer 8

└figures based on the numbers of crimes that are reported and recorded by the police

└often used by the government for crime prevention strategies

Question 9

Victim surveys

Answer 9

└a questionnaire that asks a sample of people which crimes have been committed against them over a fixed period of time and if they had reported them to the police

Question 10

Offender surveys

Answer 10

└a self-report measure that requires people to record the number and typed of crimes they have committed over a fixed period of time

Question 11

Victim surveys

strengths

Answer 11

└more likely to include details of crime that were not reported
└=more accurate= less dark figure
└2006/7
└official statistics- 2% decrease in crime
└British crime survey- 3% increase in crime

Question 12

Offender surveys

strengths

Answer 12

Offender surveys

└show how many people are responsible for certain offences

Question 13

Victim surveys

limitations

Answer 13

└ rely on accurate recall of respondents
└telescoping: victim may misremember event as happening in the last year
└trauma seems recent so event appears recent
└=distort figures

Question 14

Offender surveys

limitations

Answer 14

└although confidential, responses are unreliable
└conceal serious crimes
└exaggerate for bravado
└targeted survey
└=certain types of crime over represented e.g. burglary
└middle class crimes like fraud under represented

Question 15

Official statistics

limitations

Answer 15

└underestimate true extent of crime
└only 25% reported and recorded
└other 75%= dark figure of crime
└Farrington and Dowds (1985)
└Nottingshamhire police more likely to recod thefts umder £10= spike of thefts in area
└=police priorities may distort official figures