measuring crime

Question 1

what are the general trends in crime

Answer 1

-1930-50 - gradual rise, end of war, rise in living standards causing relative deprivation
-1950-80 - steeper rise, economic growth and social anomie, changing role of women
-1980-1995 - rapid increase, economic recession, relative deprivation and unemployment
-1995-2016 - gradual annual decline, changes in reporting, new types of crime

Question 2

what are official statistics?

Answer 2

-collected by the government and usually published by the office of national statistics

Question 3

what is the official crime rate?

Answer 3

-statistics that are compiled using police, court and prison records

Question 4

what is the British crime survey

Answer 4

-statistics which were compiled through victim surveys and self-report surveys, 50000 people over 16 asked annually if they have been a victim or offender

Question 5

what are the 5 sources of crime stats?

Answer 5

-police recorded
-victim surveys
-court records
-prison records
-self-report surveys

Question 6

police recorded crime

Answer 6

-reports filed by police
-may not end in a conviction or court case
-not all crimes are reported and recorded

Question 7

victim surveys

Answer 7

-part of the BCS
-people dont always know they’re victims
-may record crimes as something different to the police
-relies on memory

Question 8

court records

Answer 8

-cases taken to prosecution
-include info about defendant, victim and types of crime, plus verdict
-some crimes are recorded but not taken to court (or not recorded at all)

Question 9

prison records

Answer 9

-ethnic makeup, gender, age and class
-also length of sentence and recidivism rates
-not all crimes result in custodial sentence
-mc more likely to be fined then imprisoned

Question 10

self-report surveys

Answer 10

-ask if ppl have committed a crime in the last 12 months
-people may not know if they have eg speeding
-relies on memory and truthfulness

Question 11

reasons for unreported crime

Answer 11

-fear
-embarrassment
-dont know theyre a victim
-deal with it themselves
-distrust the police

Question 12

reasons for unrecorded crime

Answer 12

-not all crime is reported into official figures
-police targeting/priorities
-status of victim
-work relations

Question 13

functionalist/new right/right realism view of crime stats

Answer 13

-accept them at face value
-see them as reliable and valid

Question 14

interactionism / labelling theory view of crime stats

Answer 14

-social construction
-only useful for identifying stereotypes and assumptions

Question 15

marxist/neo-marxist view of crime stats

Answer 15

-show biased view of crime
-constructed by RC
-ignore white collar and corporate crime

Question 16

feminist view of crime stats

Answer 16

-under-represent female crime
-under-represent crimes against women like rape and domestic abuse

Question 17

left realist view of crime stats

Answer 17

-broadly correct but under-represent white collar and corporate crime
-exaggerate WC crime, especially ethnic minorities