Measuring crime- self report studies

Question 1

What are self-report studies?

Answer 1

• Ask victims to honestly confess to crime they have committed
• Usually based on self-completed questionnaire/interview
• Respondents presented with a list of offences and asked which they committed within last 12 months

Question 2

What have sociologists found surrounding gender and self report studies?

Answer 2

• Campbell gave self report studies to young females and found they had almost as high a crime rate as young males
• Box- if petty crime was removed, the male to female ration would be 5:1

Question 3

What do self-report studies suggest about crime?

Answer 3

• Most of us have committed at least one crime at some stage in our lives
• Committing 1/2 crimes is a ‘normal’ part of growing up for most boys
• Hood and Sparks- frequent law breaking is relatively rare

Question 4

What is the OCJS?

Answer 4

• The offending crime and justice survey (self report study)
• Aim to investigate dark figure of crime
• Includes all crime, including victimless and white collar crimes
• 3 types of interview (computer assisted personal interview, assisted self interviewing, audio computer assisted self interviewing)

Question 5

What have self report studies revealed about gender and crime?

Answer 5

• Far more males commit crime than females
• Graham and Bowling- over 30% of 22-25 year old males addmitted to a criminal offence vs 4% of females

Question 6

What have self report studies revealed about social class and crime?

Answer 6

• Lower social position, the more likely to commit a crime
• Farnworth- link is strongest in terms of street crime and underclass
• Maguire- the poor appear to commit more crime than better-off counterparts

Question 7

What have self report studies revealed about age and crime?

Answer 7

• Crime is a ‘young person’s game’
• Youth tend to offend publically in groups- more visible so more likely to be apprehended
• Youth crime more likely to be listed in self report studies

Question 8

What have self report studies revealed about ethnicity and crime?

Answer 8

• Little difference between peopel of different ethnicities in self report studies
• Findings at odds with official statistic data (high proportion of black offenders)

Question 9

Strengths of self-report studies

Answer 9

Provide info about:
- Who offends
- Who has been arrested
- Exploring victimless crime
- Tracks individuals providing an insight into impact of variables (class, poverty)

Question 10

Weaknesses of self-report studies

Answer 10

• Box- valdity (forget, downplay, exaggerate), representativeness (youth only) and relevance (trivial crime reported) issues
• Focus mainly on young w/c males
• Omit ‘hidden’/’adult’ crime
• Present a partial view of crime
• Marsh- not all will respond, despite anonymity
• Unethical to ask about serious crime