Reporting Crime Flashcards
Victim Surveys
Sample of population asked whether they have been victims of crime and if they have reported it to the police
What is the most important study of crime?
Crime survey for England and Wales conducted annually by home office
What methods does the crime survey for England and Wales use?
Asks people resident in households about their experience of crime in face to face interviews
- structured interview with closed questions
- random sampling
- laptops allow respondents to feel more at ease when answering questions on sensitive issues, anonymous, self completion
Strengths of victim surveys
Understanding of unreported crime
- overcomes police not recording significant number of offences
- gives a good picture on patterns of victimisation
Weaknesses of victim surveys
Relies on people’s memory - recollections may be false or biased
- victims may categorise crime incorrectly
- omits range of crime (corporate crime) - become invisible crimes
- victimless crimes not reported
- victim surveys are anonymous but sexual offence remain underreported
Self report studies
Surveys conducted to ask people if they have committed a crime
- sometimes carried out by governments or sociologists
Strengths of self report studies
Useful for revealing the sorts of people who commit crime
- can reveal ‘hidden offenders’ who haven’t been caught by police
- useful for understanding victimless crimes
Weaknesses of self report studies
- Validity: relies on truthfulness of respondents, they may lie
- Representativeness: mostly conducted on young people as they are easy to study - not professional criminals
- Relevance - most crimes uncovered are trivial
- may not realise they have committed a crime
What do self report studies help uncover?
Determine whether there is systematic bias in the criminal Justice system
- some offenders more likely to get categorised as criminals while others get away with it
