Ways of measuring crime:

Question 1

What are two ways of collecting crime data?

Answer 1

the official crime survey:
Police Recorded Crime.
Court Records.
Prison Records.
Published Quarterly.

eval:
Not all crimes are recorded
Not all Crimes are reported
Government Manipulation
Invisible Crimes / Victims

crime survey of england and wales:
Interview with households.
Continuous survey.
Published Quarterly.
Random Sample of 35,000 people.
Adults and Children aged 10 – 15.

eval:
Relies on Memory
Lack of specialist knowledge
Researcher Effects
Invisible Crimes

Relies on Memory
Lack of specialist knowledge
Researcher Effects
Invisible Crimes

Question 2

What is the dark figure of crime?

Answer 2

crime that goes unreported

Two reasons why a crime might not be reported to the police are that the victim may fear not being believed or they may be involved in illegal activity themselves, making them reluctant to contact the authorities.
Answer:The text suggests that police decisions can influence the accuracy of crime statistics by illustrating how they may choose not to record certain crimes, such as domestic disputes, even if they are reported, leading to an underestimation of the true extent of crime.
Answer:The main argument presented in the text regarding the reliability of crime statistics is that they are not a straightforward reflection of reality, but rather a product of social processes, including reporting decisions, police discretion, and the willingness of victims to come forward.

Question 3

Why is crime not recorded?

Answer 3

police recorded crime:
Moore, Aiken and Chapman
promotion and relations at work
classification of the crime
social status of the victim
seriousness of the crime
police discretion

Court recorded crime:
likelihood of conviction based on the evidence presented
is it in the public interest to prosecute

Question 4

what does each perspective believe about crime statistics?

Answer 4

right realism - reliable and valid sources of data
internationalism - social construction and identify stereotypes and assumptions
marxism - biased view, constructed by the ruling class, ignore white collar
feminism - statistics under represent the extent of female crime and crimes against women i.e. DV
left realism - broadly correct but underrepresent white collar and corportate crime and exaggerate WC crime