Measuring Crime

Question 1

What do functionalists believe about official statistics

Answer 1

That they are social facts

• can be used to understand patterns of crime who commits crime and which crimes are committed

Question 2

What does durkheim say about suicide statistics

Answer 2

Social facts show suicide is a social phenomenon 
Happens because of ; 
1. Social integration
- too much ALTRUISTIC eg Japan, doe for their emperor
- too little EGOISTIC 
2. Moral regulation 
- too much FATALISM eg imprison
- too little ANOMIE

Question 3

Evaluation of Durkheim

Answer 3

❌ coroner decides = socially constructed

❌ varies from country to country

Question 4

what does shaw and mcKay say?

Answer 4

There is no hidden figure of crime

👅 highest levels of crime is commited in the zone of transition, based off official statistics
👅 there are high crime crimes because of the lack of soucal disorganisation = love informal social control

Question 5

What does interactionists say?

Answer 5

Police recorded crime statisics only rely on public reporting every crime and those recording it

= official statistics underestimate the real level of crime

Question 6

What does becker say?

Answer 6

Crimes are more likely to be labelled as serious in a working class area

= crimes reported are socially constructed

Question 7

What does Skolnick and Reiner say about Canteen Culture?

Answer 7

The police actively label some groups more criminals than others = pursue these crimes more

Eg. The McPhersons Report
- death of steven lawrence suggests the police is intuitionally racist

Question 8

What does Cohen say?

Answer 8

Labelling by the media perceive crime as more serious and constant

Eg. Gilroy - labelled blacks as muggers = more targeting and arresting

Question 9

Evaluation of interactionists

Answer 9

❌ braithwaite - media van reduce crime through reintegrative shaming

❌ functionalists - media is the window of to the world

Question 10

Explain the Chivalry Theory

Answer 10

The police have more favourable labelling towards women = less targeting and less arrests

❌ box - men commit more serious offences = serious and harsher sentences
❌ walklate - in rape cases women have to be respectable to be believed by the patriarchal criminal justice system

Question 11

What does Cicourel say?

Answer 11

Negotiation suggests the middle class are more able to negotiate their way out of arrest

= not report
= statistics are socially constructed

Question 12

What does Marxist say?

Law creation & selective enforcement of the law

Answer 12

Snider - governments are often reluctant to pass laws which threaten the profitability of large companies

Box - there are fewer prosecutions against companies who break safety rules

Question 13

What does Croall say?

Answer 13

While collar & corporate crime is rarely reported because the public is unaware they are a victim

❌ kinsey et al - many people do not report because they do not trust the police

Question 14

Why are white collar crimes less likely to be reported?

Answer 14

They are crimes without victims

Croall - lower class offending crimes are more likely to be reported

Question 15

Why are minor thefts unlikely to be reported

Answer 15

Victims feel there is little chance of getting their good back

✔️crime survery of england & wales

Shows 70% of non-reported crime

Question 16

Why would the public not report crime?

Answer 16

1. When crimes do not have a victim
2. Victims dislike/distrust the police
3. Victim feels sorry for offender
4. Victim will not inform if the offender is a friend/family

Eg. Maxine Carr gave false alibi for her boyfriend that killed 2 school girls

Question 17

Explain official criminal statistics

Answer 17

Police recorded crime, based on crimes reported and recorded by police

• put together by Theresa May, the home office secretary

Question 18

What is the role of the courts?

Answer 18

1. Crown prosecution services decides whether to prosecute more serious offenders in the crown court
2. Judges are trained barristers
   - dominantly male white and privately educated
   - sutton trust 2006 79% barristers = privately educated

Question 19

What does the magistrate court deal with?

Answer 19

Minor Crime

💭 lighter punishments as ling as the clients pleads guilty

Question 20

What is the role of the government?

Answer 20

1. Introduce new laws and decriminalise activities = crime changes over time eg homosexuality
2. Can change law in response to campaigns or even by moral panics eg. Public smoking laws

Question 21

Problems of the role of the government

Answer 21

Makes research of crime difficulties, due to the changes of recorded crime = reflect law change

Eg. Cannabis
Went down to C grade then back up to B grade

Question 22

What are victim surveys

Answer 22

Alternative way to see the extent to crime in society
- by asking what crimes have been committed against them = more accurate figure

✔️ without the government would not know about unreported crime
✔️ identifies the most at risk of crime

Question 23

Strengths of victims

Answer 23

✔️ overcomes the problem of non-reported crime. Simmons - 42% of crimes are reported according to victim survey = lots of hidden crime

✔️ interview can be explain concepts in the survey = more validity

Question 24

Weaknesses of Victim Surveys

Answer 24

❌ ares will affect the result
❌ certain crimes are not included eg corporate crime
❌ exclude children & those living in groups of residents

Question 25

Local victim surveys

Answer 25

Eg. Islington Crime Surveys
- found higher reported levels of victimisation of ethnic minorities and domestic violence

✔️ new left realists - shows reality of crime

Question 26

What does the media do?

Answer 26

Media sensitise acts so they are seen as criminal activities eg. Jimmy Savel

Eg. Domestic Violence used to be seen as inevitable media = zero tolerance = unacceptable crime

Question 27

Explain self reported studies

Answer 27

• Confidential questionnaires, respondents are asked to record whether they have committed any criminal act
• to aid memory they have to tick the acts done that are listed

Question 28

Strengths of self report studies

Answer 28

✔️ revealed that the crime is spread throughout the population & shows the differences between males and females .. Working class & middle class crime is smaller than official statistics show ( CAMBBELL) 
✔️ challenge the validity of official statistics

Question 29

Weaknesses of self report studies

Answer 29

❌ respondents may lie or over exaggerate- 80% are honest
❌ people may lie
❌ it is easy to study young