Characteristics of the behaviour Flashcards
(12 cards)
According to Far and Gibbons name some categories of crime and some examples.
- Folk/mundane crime ( Minor crimes that are often deemed as inconveniences rather than criminal behaviour e.g. fishing without a license.
- Property predatory crime (stealing a persons valuable without their permission e.g., burglary
- Interpersonal violence (general/sexual) (threatening to or actually causing someone harm, including sexual abuse.
Why may it be difficult to categorise crime using Far and Gibsons categories?
- The context of the crime sometimes isn’t clear to fit within one category
- Social construction of crime, what is seen as criminal in one culture may not be seen in another
- Victim perception
- Changing nature of crime.
What databases can be used for data on crime?
- ONS ( Office for national statistics)
- Home office crime statistics
How can the public access data on crime in their local area?
By using the official police website.
What is the issue with relying on published data on crime?
- Does not tell us all crime that is committed only the reported ones.
- It is believed than more than half of crimes committed are not reported for a range of reasons.
What are some reasons for people not reporting crime to the police?
- Mistrust in the authorities
- Scared of perpetrator
- Self blame and shame
- Normalisation of crime
What did Walker et al find?
Only 42% of all crimes experienced in the UK were actually reported to the police and published.
What are victim surveys and what do they aim to discover?
They are surveys that are sent out to a random sample of 50,000 households where all people aged 16 and over are asked to complete to record their views on crimes, whether they’ve committed a crime, and if they’ve been a victim of crime. This aims to give an insight to the dark figure of crime.
What is the issue regarding ‘Crime as a social construct’`?
What is considered a crime changes from culture to culture and even over time. There are some crimes which are universally considered criminal however other acts may depend on culture, this can change over time. Eg.., homosexuality and drug use.
What does ‘ statistics are social constrcutions’ mean?
Statistics are shaped by social processes, biases and interpretations. Data collection is subjective and may be intereptated differently based on political or social genders.
What are the issues with defining crime?
We must take into consideration the context of the crime, this may change the view on it and whether it’s considered criminal.
What did Blackburn define crime as?
Anything that breaks the legal law attracts legal punishment.
