Defining & Measuring Crime

Question 1

According the Lacey (2002), the concept of crime in most commonly conceived as a ‘legal construction’. So at its simplest, crim is a breaking of the criminal law. True or False

Answer 1

True

Question 2

Broadly speaking, 2 views are held about crime statistic in criminology. Which one of the below is NOT only of these view:
A. Ontological Perspective
B. The Realist View
C. Constructivist Perspective

Answer 2

A. Ontological Perspective

Question 3

Consider the following statement by Hulsman (1986): ‘Crime has no ontological reality. Crime is not the object but the product of criminal justice policy’. Which of the below theoretical frameworks is best aligned to Hulsman’s position?
A. Realism
B. Social Constructionism
C. Positivism

Answer 3

B. Social Constructionism

Question 4

Broadly speaking there are two main ‘official’ methods used in England & Wales to ‘measure’ crime. Which of the below is NOT one of the methods?
A. Interviewing prisoners, to establish which crimes they commit and how they do it
B. Obtaining data on recorded crime from the police
C. Surveying victims

Answer 4

A. Interviewing prisoners, to establish which crimes they commit and how they do it

Question 5

For Procedural purposes criminal offences are divided into 3 categories. Which of the below is NOT 1 of the categories?
S. Summary Offences
B. Indictable Offences
C. Federal Offences
D. Triable Either-way Offences

Answer 5

C. Federal Offences

Question 6

In relation to the category of Indictable Offences, which of the below is NOT correct?
A. It is a serious offence
B. It can be tried at a Crown Court in front of a jury
C. It is a Notifiable Offence as far as the police recorded crime statistics are concerned
D. If a defendant pleads guilty at the start, the case can be heard by a Magistrate and he/she will probably get a reduced prison sentence

Answer 6

D. If a defendant pleads guilty at the start, the case can be heard by a Magistrate and he/she will probably get a reduced prison sentence

Question 7

The amount of crime in society which is unrecorded/unreported is often referred to as:
A. The attrition rate
B. The black whole
C. The dark figure
D. The uncertainty principle

Answer 7

C. The dark figure

Question 8

Which of the below statements is TRUE in relation to the Crime Survey England & Wales (the victim survey):
A. It now includes interviews with Children under 10
B. It includes ‘victimless’ crimes such as illegal use of drugs
C. It is generally thought to be more reliable Police Recorded Crime (PRC)
D. It not includes crimes committed against businesses

Answer 8

C. It is generally thought to be more reliable Police Recorded Crime (PRC)

Question 9

According to the latest statistics, approximately how many ADULTS were recently included and interviewed as part of the victim survey (CSEW)?
A. 3.5 million
B. 35 thousand
C. 350 thousand
D. 28 thousand

Answer 9

B. 35 thousand

Question 10

According to Tim Hope in the Week 2 Core Reading there are a number of issues or 'biased' which  may arise in the process of interviewing 'victims' and these biases may impact on the accuracy of the statistics. what do these biases include?
A. Memory Decay
B. Telescoping
C. Interview Conditions
D. All of the above

Answer 10

D. All of the above

Question 11

What is the Realist view of crime? (4)

Answer 11

1. Crime is very real
2. Official records/statistics are an indicator of the true level of crime in society
3. While some accept there may be a ‘dark figure’ of crime which is not recorded/reported, it should be possible to develop statistics that achieve an accurate reflection of underlying trends
4. At the very least. crime statistics ‘are social facts’ (Durkheim, 1979)

Question 12

What is the Social Constructionism view of crime? (4)

Answer 12

1. Our ideas about what are and are not crimes are social constructs
2. There are important social and cultural processes involved in defining and responding to ‘crime’ which are not amenable to statistical analysis
3. We are individuals may not even realise we have been victims of some crimes and even when we do, we may not report them
4. Crime statistics cannot measure crime in separation from the actions of the agencies producing them (eg. not all crimes reported to the police may be recorded or feature in O.S

Question 13

What are the 2 main methods for collecting data on crime?

Answer 13

1. Police Recorded Crime
2. Victimisation Surveys - sometimes still referred to as the British Crime Survey (BCS) but is now called the Crime and Survey for England & Wales (CSEW)

Question 14

What is an Indictable offence?

Answer 14

Serious crimes - such as murder, rape, robbery - that can only be tried in front of a jury at a Crown Court

Question 15

What is a Summary offence?

Answer 15

Offences such as ‘Minor’ motoring crimes which can only be tried by a magistrates court

Question 16

What is an Either Way offence?

Answer 16

An ‘in between’ category whereby the offender charged with these crimes can be tried either by Magistrates or the Crown Court

Question 17

Which of the below is NOT a way statistics are used?
A. To assess performance of authorities
B. To understand policy developments by governments
C. To know the amount of police to employ
D. To determine personal risk

Answer 17

C. To know the amount of police to employ

Other examples include:

• Research
• To critically examine the ways they are used by governments
• To understand the causes of crime
• To obtain information about criminal activity in your area

Question 18

Give 3 examples of ‘notifiable offences’

Answer 18

Out of:

• Violence
• Sexual offences
• Robbery
• Burglary
• Theft
• Fraud
• Criminal damage
• Drug offences