Defining and measuring crime Flashcards
Why has the definition of crime changed
alterations in cultural norms, social norms and moral norms
What is the definition of what constitutes to a crime
dependant on time culture and age
Why can crime be difficult to define
dependant on the social norms of the current period of time
Were crimes always legal
Some were illegal and made legal
What’s an example of a crime that’s now legal
Same sex marriage
What’s an example of a crime that used to be legal and now made illegal
smoking in public places
Why is smoking no longer permitted in public places
harmful effects of 2nd hand smoking
How does culture affect crime
Crime is culturally relative
What is cultural relativism
Some crimes are legal in certain countries but illegal in others
What’s an example of cultural relativism
marriage age in uk is 16 saudi arabia there is no age
Can age effect the definition of crime
yeah crime is dependent on the age of the offender
Why would a toddler not be a criminal if they stole an apple
they didn’t know they’re committing a crime so won’t be accused of doing so
What age do you become legally responsible for your actions in the UK
under the age of 10
Where are crime statistics published in the UK
- uk government
- police
- justice system
When were crime statistics first published
1805
Why is it useful that crime statistics are published
public can look at how crime has trended over time
What’s a disadvantage of statistics
not always accurate
Why are crime statistics not always accurate
rely on crime that’s actually reported and recorded by these official bodies
Do all crimes get reported
Not always
What’s it called when crimes aren’t reported
dark figure of crime
What did Farrington and Dowds 1995 compare
statistics between Nottingham and 2 nearby countries
What did Farrington and Dowds find
crime rates are higher in Nottingham
Why were the crimes higher in nottingham
police recorded all crimes including petty theft
What do offender surveys look at
the offender of the crime
What do police gain from doing these surveys
better understanding of victimless crime
What is victimless crime
When there are no victims involved
What’s an example of a victimless crime
underage drinking
illegal drug consumption
What’s an example of a measuring crime survey
offender survey
What age group does the offender survey ask
10-25 yrs
What did the offender survey ask
- shoplifting
- underage drinking
- theft
- bullying
- domestic violence
What’s a limitation of an offender survey
self reported leading to exaggeration or minimalisation of crimes
What’s a limitation that offender survey asks about
- Can be biased only look at certain types of crime
- people may only disclose certain types of crime they’ve committed
What do victim survey’s ask
questions of the victims crimes
Do all victims crimes get reported
Not always
Why don’t police report crime
They don’t deem it worthy
Why are victim surveys better
give a better representation of why crimes are committed
How many weaknesses are there of victim surveys
2
What are the limitations of victim surveys
biased exaggerated or minimised as they’re self reported
memory isn’t perfect lead to faulty or biased reporting
What doesn’t the victim survey look at
impersonal crimes which affect more than 1 individual (fraud or white-collar crimes)
