Ways Of Measuring Crime

Question 1

Official statistics

Answer 1

Crimes reported and recorded that go into the official figures that allow the gov. To formulate prevention strategies. Published by home office as a snapshot

Question 2

Evaluate official statistics

Answer 2

The dark figure of crime
Nicholas et al (2005) - 57% not recorded or reported
Farmington and davids - Nottingham police

Question 3

Victim surveys

Answer 3

Publics experience of crime over a particular period. 50, 000 households randomly selected.

Question 4

Evaluate victim surveys

Answer 4

May be sensitive topic, so may not report it.
More likely to include crimes that weren’t reported - more accurate
2006/7 statistics suggested 2% increase, whereas crime survey suggested 3%.
Telescoping

Question 5

Offender surveys

Answer 5

Individuals self report on the crimes they have committed. Based on certain risk factors e.g. Previous convictions, age, socio economic background. Used to identify trends.

Question 6

Evaluate offender surveys

Answer 6

May be unreliable
May under or overstate crimes
Targeted nature - over represent

Question 7

General evaluation

Answer 7

Politics of measuring crime

A multidisciplinary approach