🍒 Criminal Behaviour - Characteristics

Question 1

Definition of Crime

Q: What is the definition of crime?

Answer 1

An action or omission that constitutes an offence and is punishable by law.
No set of “symptoms” or universal characteristics define criminal behaviour.
A social construct—depends on laws and social context.

Question 2

Farr & Gibbons’ (1990) Types of Crime

Q: What are the seven categories of crime according to Farr & Gibbons (1990)?

Answer 2

1. Property predatory crime (e.g., burglary, robbery)
2. Property fraudulent crime (e.g., fraud, bribery)
3. Interpersonal violence general (e.g., murder, assault)
4. Interpersonal violence sexual (e.g., rape, sexual abuse)
5. Transactional vice (e.g., prostitution, illegal gambling)
6. Order disruption (e.g., rioting, disorderly conduct)
7. Folk/mundane crime (e.g., minor violations like fishing without a license)

Question 3

ONS Crime Categories

Q: How does the Office for National Statistics (ONS) categorize crime?

Answer 3

• Victim-based crimes (e.g., theft, assault)
• Crimes against society (e.g., drug offences, public order offences)

Question 4

Official Crime Statistics

Q: How are official crime statistics collected in the UK?

Answer 4

• Based on incidents reported to the police or observed by them.
• Published annually by the Home Office (since 1805).

Question 5

Victim Surveys

Q: What is the Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW)?

Answer 5

• A victim survey where people report crimes committed against them.
• Conducted annually since 2001 with 50,000 households.
• Includes questions on attitudes (e.g., “What are the major causes of crime?”) and specific incidents (e.g., “Has your car been stolen?”).

Question 6

Offender Surveys

Q: What was the Offending, Crime and Justice Survey (OCJS)?

Answer 6

• Surveyed offenders (2003–2006) in England & Wales.
• Initially sampled 10–65-year-olds, then tracked 5,000 people aged 10–25 longitudinally.

Question 7

The ‘Normality’ of Criminal Behaviour

Q: What did Muncie & McLaughlin (1996) suggest about criminal behaviour?

Answer 7

• Most people consider themselves law-abiding, but the average UK person could have spent 6 years in jail if convicted for every crime they committed.
• Highlights difficulties in defining who is a criminal.

Question 8

Who is a Criminal?

Q: Why is defining a criminal problematic?

Answer 8

Laws change over time (e.g., homosexuality was illegal in the UK until 1969).
Some crimes (e.g., peaceful protests) may be morally justified despite being illegal.
Psychologists must decide whether to study only convicted criminals or include unreported crimes.

Question 9

Problems in Criminal Behaviour Research

Q: What are the challenges in researching criminal behaviour?

Answer 9

• Criminal behaviour varies widely (violent crimes vs. civil disobedience).
• Differences between criminals may be greater than similarities.
• Social constructs influence definitions of crime.