Defining and Measuring Crime Evaluation Flashcards
Why are official statistic unreliable?
They significantly underestimate the true extent of crime - many believe only 25% of offences are included in the statistics as many go unreported or unrecorded by the police - other 75% = dark figure of crime
Why else are official statistics not representative?
Policing policies may impact upon the number of crimes recorded e.g. the case of Farrington and Dowds found police in Nottinghamshire were more likely than other areas to record thefts of under £10
What is a strength of official statistics?
Allow trends to be spotted and therefore crime prevention strategies to be put in place
What is a strength of victim surveys?
More likely to include crimes that were not reported to the police and therefore are thought to be more accurate e.g. in 2006/7 official statistic suggested a 2% decrease in crime whereas BCS showed a 3% increase
What is a problem with victim surveys?
It relies on accurate recall - telescoping may occur as victims ma y misremember therefore distorting the figures
Some victims will still not report the crime
What is the main strength of offender surveys?
They provide an insight into how many people are responsible for certain offences
What is a problem with offender surveys?
Although confidential they may still be unreliable - offenders may want to conceal or ever exaggerate offences
Why is the targeted nature of offender surveys a weakness?
It means that certain crimes such as burglary are overrepresented and middle class crimes are under-represented
What is an issue with the politics of measuring crime?
Politicians are happier using some measures more than others - the party in power will state that there is a reduction in crime and those I opposition will state their is an increase so while an independent body carries out the studies there is a question surrounding validity
Why should all figures be scrutinised and treated with caution?
No one way of measuring crime is representative - researchers recommend using a multidisciplinary approach when measuring crime using a mix of methods
What is the problem with official statistics and the cases of rape?
DPP expressed that cases were not being dealt with correctly
129 fewer rapes suspects were convicted in 2013 than the year before and rape cases referred for prosecution had fallen by 1/3 since 2011
There is a variation in the way rape cases are treated in different parts of the country
