Measuring crime

Question 1

2 reasons why people may not report crime

Answer 1

fear, shame, don’t know that they’re a victim, don’t trust police

Question 2

from what sources are the official crime rate compiled

Answer 2

crime survey

Question 3

one criticism of using victim surveys to find out about crime

Answer 3

relies on memory

Question 4

dark figure of crime

Answer 4

amount of unreported/undiscovered crime

Question 5

why might a police officer not record a crime?

Answer 5

may not be a very serious crime, status related

Question 6

what has been the trend in crime since the mid 1990’s?

Answer 6

gradual annual decline - could be due to changes in reporting

Question 7

what is used to create the crime survey of england and wales?

Answer 7

victim surveys and self report surveys

Question 8

Official Statistics

Answer 8

those which are collected by gov agencies

Question 9

Official Crime Rate

Answer 9

the statistics that are complied using police, court and prison records

Question 10

British Crime Survey

Answer 10

statistics which are complied through victim surveys and self report surveys

Question 11

Trends in crime

Answer 11

1930-1950 = gradual rise in crime - end of war, returning soldiers feeling frustrated, rise in standard of living - RD

1950-1980 = steeper rise in crime - time of economic growth and social anomie with changes in the role of women

1980-1990 = rapid increase - time of economic recession, led to RD

1990-2016 = gradual annual decline = changes in reporting

Question 12

Official Crime Statistics

Answer 12

= generated by what is recorded by the police, and then what is processed through the CJS

Strengths:
- Allow us to make comparisons between groups
- Show trends and patterns over time
- Conduct large scale surveys
Weaknesses:

• People can lie
• Gov creates statistics for its own purposes
• Only measure what the police record and do not present an accurate picture of crime

Question 13

Self-report

Answer 13

= ask people if they have committed crime in the last 12 months

Strengths:
- People report themselves
- Simple way to collect data at a low cost

Weaknesses:
- People may not know that they have committed a crime as some crimes are not seen as real crime e.g. speeding
- Relies on memory and truthfulness

Question 14

Police Recorded Crime

Answer 14

= statistics compiled based on the reports filed by the police

Weakness = not all crimes that are reported are recorded

Question 15

Reasons for unrecorded crime

Answer 15

not all crimes are entered into official figures, police priorities/targeting, status of the victim

Question 16

Perspectives Views of Crime Statistics
(Functionalism/New Right/Realism)

Answer 16

accept OS at face value as they see them as reliable and valid sources of data

Question 17

Perspectives Views of Crime Statistics
(Interactionism/Labelling Theory)

Answer 17

see OS as a social construction and only useful for identifying stereotypes and assumptions

Question 18

Perspectives Views of Crime Statistics
(Marxism/Neo-Marxism)

Answer 18

OS show a biased view of crime as they’re constructed by the ruling class, also ignore wcc and cc

Question 19

Perspectives Views of Crime Statistics
(Feminism)

Answer 19

OS under-represent the extent of female crime and crimes against women e.g. domestic violence

Question 20

Perspectives Views of Crime Statistics
(Left Realism)

Answer 20

OS are broadly correct but they under represent wcc and cc and exaggerate w/c crime particularly those by EM