Defining and measuring crimes Flashcards
problems with defining crime
the legalistic definition of crime is complicated by the concept that laws change over time
cultural issues in defining crime
what we consider a crime in one country may not be in an other country
ways of measuring crime
official statistics
victim surveys
offender surveys
official statistics
based on crimes that are reported to the police and recorded by official figures
victim surveys
british crime survey - carried out every 2 years and involves interviews with a large sample
rps are asked whether they or a member of their household has been a victim of crime in the last eyar
offender surveys
offender surveys ask people about their offending behaviour
eg. the offending crime and justice survey
official statistics (evaluation)
- unreliable as underestimate the extent of crime
- many believe only 25% of crimes are actually reported
- policing policies may impact on the number of crimes reported (farrington and dowds)
Farrington and dowds
police in notinghamshire were more likely than other areas to record thefts under £10 - this may affect the statistics
victim surveys (evaluation)
- more likely to include crimes that were not reported to the police so more accurate
- telescoping may occur as victims may mis remember information which may distort figures
`offender surveys (evaluation)
- provide insight into how many people are responsible for certain offences
- responses may be unreliable offenders may want to conceal or exaggerate offences
a multidisiplinary approach
researchers recommend a multidisiplinary approach when measuring crime using a mixture of a number of methods
official statistics and the cases of rape
DPP expressed cases were not being dealt with correctly. 129 fewer rape suspects were convicted in 2013 than the year before
