1. Defining And Measuring Crime Flashcards Preview

3. Forensic Psychology > 1. Defining And Measuring Crime > Flashcards

Flashcards in 1. Defining And Measuring Crime Deck (19)
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1
Q

What is a crime?

A

An act committed in violation of law where the consequence of conviction by a court is punishment, especially where the punishment is a serious one such as imprisonment

2
Q

What are official statistics?

A

Government records of the total number of crimes reported to the police and recorded in official figures. They are published on an annual basis and used as a ‘snapshot’ of the number of crimes occurring in different places across the country. This allows the government to develop crime-prevention strategies.

3
Q

What are victim surveys?

A

A questionnaire that asks a sample of people which crimes have been committed against them over a fixed period of time and whether or not they have been reported to the police

4
Q

What are offender surveys?

A

A self-report measure that requires people to record the number and types of crime they have committed over a specified period

5
Q

What is the legalistic definition of crime?

A

“Breaking the laws of society”

6
Q

What is the normative definition of crime?

A

“Acts that can cause offence to moral norms or values held by society such as religious beliefs”

7
Q

When deciding on whether a behaviour is considered a crime, we can consider the 4 W’s. What are they?

A
  • (WHEN) Historical context
  • (WHERE) Culture
  • (WHO) Age
  • (WHAT) specific/mitigating circumstances
8
Q

Why is historical context important on deciding whether a behaviour is considered a crime?

A

Definitions of crime are time bound/era-dependent; what is defined as criminal at one point in time may be considered acceptable at another

9
Q

Give examples of ‘crimes’ that had a historical context

A
  • Gay marriage
  • Children act in 2004 (until then was legal to hit your child)
  • Smoking inside
10
Q

Why is culture important on deciding whether a behaviour is considered a crime?

A

Definitions of crime are culturally specific; what is considered a crime in one culture is not always a crime in another. Any given society decides what is and is not acceptable/punishable behaviour

11
Q

Give examples of ‘crimes’ that have a cultural context

A
  • Guns are legal in America
  • Bigamy
  • Forced marriage
12
Q

Why is age important on deciding whether a behaviour is considered a crime?

A

Age is an important factor in determining whether or not a person is a criminal. Although stealing is against the law, a 3 year old child who picks up a toy/packet of sweets would not be considered a criminal.

The issue is the level of understanding and whether or not the person had reached the age of criminal responsibility (10)

13
Q

What is the age of criminal responsibility?

A

10

-legally responsible (criminally) for themselves

14
Q

Why are specific/mitigating circumstances important on deciding whether a behaviour is considered a crime?

A

‘Mitigating circumstances’ are taken into account when people have broken laws. This may mean that their behaviour is judged as understandable and even commendable rather than illegal.

Individual circumstances play a part as we would not suggest that stealing to feed hungry people is criminal behaviour even though it is against the law. Also, in legal cases juries are instructed to consider issues.

15
Q

Give examples of mitigating circumstances

A
  • Crimes of passion
  • Mental health
  • Diminished responsibility
16
Q

Name the 3 ways of measuring crime

A
  • Official statistics
  • Victim surveys
  • Offender surveys
17
Q

What are official statistics?

A

The official crime rate is based on formal government statistics of crimes that are reported to the police and recorded in the official figures.

These are published by the Home Office on an annual basis and are a useful ‘snapshot’ of the number of crimes occurring across the country and in specific regions. Typically these are used to inform government policy, crime reduction/prevention initiatives.

(Know places that need more help/where to direct police to reduce it)

18
Q

EVALUATION OF OFFICIAL STATISTICS

Evaluate official statistics to do with the ‘dark figure of crime’

A

Official statistics may not reflect the true extent of crime as only a certain number get reported to the police.

Official statistics have therefore been criticised as unreliable in that they significantly underestimate the true extent of crime.

Hollins found that so many crimes go unreported and unrecorded that only around 25% of offences are included in the official statistics. The other 75% make up what criminologists refer to as the ‘dark figure’ of crime.

This is a limitation as official statistics don’t reflect the true extent of crime.

19
Q

EVALUATION OF OFFICIAL STATISTICS

Evaluate official statistics to do with the role of policing rules in unrecorded crime

A

One particular reason for unrecorded crime is police recording rules that determine whether or not a specific crime is deemed recordable by the authorities.

Farringdon and Dowds analysed a random sample of police records of crime in Nottinghamshire, Staffordshire, and Leicestershire. They found that Nottinghamshire police were more likely to record thefts of less that £10, although this was an informal policy rather than an officially stated policy. Crimes below this value were regarded as minor and reported by the other two police forces. Thus the official crime rate was higher in Nottingham than the other two counties.

Limitation as this suggests police priorities may distort official figures.