Crime Stats

Question 1

What are the three methods of measuring and recording crime?

Answer 1

• Police recorded crime
• Victim surveys
• Self reporting surveys

Question 2

What do Official Crime Statistics (OCS) seek to identify?

Answer 2

• Patterns and trends
• Volume of crime
• Main types of crime
• Typical social characteristics of involved individuals

Question 3

How are OCS useful?

Answer 3

• Assess effectiveness of criminal justice initiatives
• Published every 6 months by home office
• Been collected since 1857 and can compare trends overtime

Question 4

What is a major weakness of Official Crime Statistics?

Answer 4

Crimes cannot be reduced if they are not reported

Question 5

What are some reasons why crimes may not be recorded according to the British Crime Survey?

Answer 5

• Belief that it’s too trivial
• It’s a private matter
• Embarrassment
• No victim

Question 6

What percentage of crimes reported to police fail to show up in Official Crime Statistics?

Answer 6

57%

Question 7

What factors can influence police ‘filtering’ of crime reports?

Answer 7

• Severity of the crime
• Social status of the victim
• Classification of the crime
• Officer’s discretion
• Officer’s desire for promotion

Question 8

What is the dark figure of crime?

Answer 8

Crimes that are not reported or recorded

Question 9

How do OCS reflect the role of the courts?

Answer 9

They reflect the decisions and sentences of the courts

Question 10

What is a common assumption made by British courts regarding criminals?

Answer 10

The majority will plead guilty (plea-bargaining)

Question 11

What influences the perception of what is considered a criminal act over time?

Answer 11

Cultural changes and the influence of powerful groups

Effects OCS

Question 12

What are some examples of crimes that are not visible and thus not included in OCS?

Answer 12

• Tax fraud
• VAT fraud

Question 13

What impact does the army have on crime reporting?

Answer 13

They police and punish individuals outside of the legal system

Question 14

What does Pilkington argue about the utility of OCS?

Answer 14

They reflect increased reporting of certain crimes rather than actual increases in crime

Question 15

How do public attitudes towards property crime affect OCS?

Answer 15

Public intolerance of property crime has increased

as society has become more prosperous and materialistic

Question 16

How does journalist created moral panics affect OCS?

Answer 16

Increased reporting of juvenile crimes may reflect public intolerance

May also occur more due to youth as folk devils = deviancy amplification

Question 17

What does criminologists’ estimate indicate about crime reporting?

Answer 17

For every 100 crimes committed, 47 are reported, 27 recorded, and 5 cleared up thru conviction/caution

Question 18

What is the best-known victim survey in the UK?

Answer 18

British Crime Survey

Acts as a sample of population (localy or nationally) questioning victimisation over a certain period of time

Question 19

What is a key strength of victim surveys?

Answer 19

They overcome the non-recording problem

Portrays an idea of the extent of victimisation

Question 20

What are some weaknesses of victim surveys?

Answer 20

• Validity of victims’ memories assumed
• Categorization of crime is subjective
• Omit certain crimes (murder, fraud)
• Under 16s not accounted for

Question 21

What’s another limitation of victim survey?

Answer 21

Relies on victims knowing they’re a victim

Media plays a key role in this and sometimes heightens sensitivity thru certain forms of behaviour

Question 22

What are self report studies?

Answer 22

Surveys that ask a group of people what crimes theyve committed

Question 23

What do self-report studies reveal about offenders?

Answer 23

Information about the kind of offenders not caught by the police and victimless crimes

Makes self report studies useful

Question 24

What is a limitation of self-report studies?

Answer 24

People may lie or exaggerate

Also not representative since it uncovers trivial crimes

Question 25

What has Maguire pointed out about crime statistics since the 1970s?

Answer 25

There has been a huge increase in statistics and information gathered about crime ## Footnote Garland argues this has occured due to being in late modern times: leads to uncertainty in governments ability to handle crime

Question 26

What does the government engage in?

Answer 26

'risk management' thru collecting as much data on crime possible to assess the risk ## Footnote Part of this is pushing responsibility back onto individuals - telling people how to avoid victimisation

Question 27

What is the concept of 'risk society' as defined by Giddens?

Answer 27

A society increasingly preoccupied with the future and safety, generating the notion of risk

Question 28

What does Beck argue about modern society in relation to risk?

Answer 28

It has become a risk society focused on debating, preventing, and managing risks it's produced ## Footnote An inescapable structural condition resulting from advanced industrialisation