Measuring Crime Flashcards
What is the normative view of C&D
Society is based on consensus about which acts need to be legally controlled
(Functionalist, Right Realists, Subcultural)
What is the relativistic view of C&D
Society contains diverse and conflicting norms. C&D reflects the views of these with the power to control the laws.
(Marxist, Interactionist, Interpretivist)
What do OCS Police Records show about age of crime?
50% crime is committed by young people - mostly burglary, street robbery, violence, and shoplifting.
What do OCS Police Records show about gender of crime?
80% of recorded crime is by males
Females tend to be convicted of theft, especially shoplifting
What do OCS Police Records show about EMs?
Overrepresentation of ethnic minorities
Which areas are OCS Police Records biased towards?
Class bias towards working class Bias towards urban areas
What do Functionalists think of OCS?
They are valid social facts (eg Durkheim’s suicide study)
What do Marxists think of OCS?
They serve an ideological purpose
What do Interactionists think of OCS?
They are social constructions - media influence, negotiated justice
What do Feminists think of OCS?
They reflect patriarchal ideology
What do Left Realists think of OCS?
They can be used alongside other measures, they do reflect real people’s concerns
Which % of crimes are brought to police attention by the public?
90%
- Left Realists argue this means OCS reflect real people’s concerns
What does Maguire estimate for every 100 crimes?
For every 100 crimes:
47 reported
27 recorded
5 cleared up
What is an issue for OCS?
Counting rules on laws have changes, laws have changed, social attitudes and thus policing differ - lowers consistency and reliability, makes patterns and trends difficult
What do some sociologists say about the OCS?
It negatively labels some groups - ethical issues
What are the two parts of the dark figure of crime?
Unreported crime (revealed by British Crime Survey, Islington Crime Survey, and Feminist Victim Surveys) Unrecorded crime - eg coughing, cuffing, unreliable complainer, too trivial
Which % of reported crime is recorded according to Maguire
The BCS reveals only 60% reported crime is recorded
What does Pilkington say about OCS?
They say more about public reporting than about real rates of crime (90% is brought to police attention by public)
What may police priorities do?
Affect recording, may differ across areas and due to media concerns/government crackdowns (Cohen - media panic, deviancy amplification)
What does plea bargaining do?
Mean that crimes are recorded as more minor - especially in rape trials
What do Simmons and Dodd say?
Only 44% crime is reported to the police
What did Cicourel’s phenomenological study find?
Police held stereotypical assumptions which impact upon which crime is recorded