Topic 2: Patterns of Crime Flashcards
(68 cards)
1
Q
Official statistics
A
Statistics which are collected by government agencies and usually published by the Office for National Statistics.
2
Q
Official crime rate
A
The statistics of crime compiled by the police, court and prison records.
3
Q
The dark figure of crime
A
The crimes that are undiscovered, unreported to and unrecorded by the police.
4
Q
Indictable offences
A
Serious crimes which must be tried in a Crown Court.
5
Q
Summary offences
A
Less serious crimes which are usually tried in a Magistrates Court
6
Q
Double jeopardy
A
The idea than an offender can be punished twice for the same offence.
7
Q
Hegemonic masculinity
A
A male gender identity that defines what is involved in being a ‘real man’ and is so dominant that those who don’t conform to it are seen as odd or abnormal in some way.
8
Q
Overrepresentation
A
When a group is represented in disproportionately large numbers - larger than the average or compared with their population.
9
Q
Direct discrimination
A
When an individual is discriminated against (treated worse than others) due to having a protected characteristic e.g. race / gender
10
Q
Indirect discrimination
A
When a policy or rule unfairly affects a group e.g. a religious group or age group
11
Q
Institutional racism
A
Patterns of discrimination based on ethnicity that have become widespread in institutions
12
Q
White-collar crime / occupational crime
A
Crime that is committed by middle class individuals who abuse their work position for personal gain
13
Q
Corporate crime
A
Crimes committed by large companies, on individuals acting on behalf of those companios to further the company’s goals
14
Q
Blue collar crime
A
Crimes committed by the working class - traditionally manual workers
15
Q
What are the 6 purposes for official statistics?
A
- Identify crime trends
- Measure police efficiency
- Guide police resource allocation to reduce crime.
- Inform the public and media about crime patterns.
- Provide sociologists with data to analyse crime and its explanation.
- Reveal police biases since stats reflect police actions, priorities, and recording choices.
16
Q
Overall, is the crime rate increasing?
A
No it has decreased in the last 50 years
17
Q
Name 4 sources of crime statistics
A
- Victim surveys
- Court and prison records
- Police recorded crime
- Self-report studies
18
Q
Victim surveys
A
- Completed by the victims of crime and include unreported and unrecorded crime.
- More accurate than police recorded crime.
- E.g Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW)
19
Q
Court and prison records
A
Reveal the characteristics of offenders who have been caught
20
Q
Police recorded crime
A
Offences either detected by, or reported to the police, and recorded by the police
21
Q
Self-report studies
A
Anonymous questionnaires in which people are asked to own up to committing crimes, whether or not they have been discovered
22
Q
Are crimes against businesses and non-residents recorded in police recorded crime of CSEW?
A
- Police recorded crime: Yes
- CSEW: No
23
Q
How many more crimes did the CSEW record compared to the Police?
A
50% more
24
Q
Give 3 reasons as to why sociologists may question statistics reliability and valididty?
A
- Crimes are not always categorised in the same way by the police.
- Many offences are not discovered by the police – and so go undocumented.
- Many offences that are reported to the police are not recorded (as high as 1 in 5).
25
Official statistics can give a distorted picture of crime because of a range of other factors, which may give the impression of an increase in crime. Name these 10 factors.
1. The media
2. Changing police attitudes, priorities and policies
3. Reporting of less serious incidents
4. Changing social norms and public attitudes
5. Community policing and higher policing levels
6. Changing counting rules
7. More sophisticated police training / technology
8. Changes in the law
9. Easier communications
10. People have more to lose today
26
Explain how the changing police attitudes, priorities and policies can give a distorted picture of crime
- Shifts in police priorities (e.g. targeting specific crimes) can distort crime stats.
- Increased focus and resources may lead to more recorded cases, not actual rises in crime.
- This can falsely suggest certain crimes are increasing.
27
Explain how the media can give a distorted picture of crime
- Media exaggerates crime and creates moral panics, making issues seem worse than they are.
- This distorts public perception and heightens fear.
- Public becomes more alert to certain crimes, increasing reports and reinforcing the distortion.
28
Explain how reporting of less serious incidents can give a distorted picture of crime
Maguire argues that because of the break-up of close-knit family and community life, people are reporting minor incidents to the police that in the past would have been dealt with within the community.
29
Explain how changing social norms and public attitudes can give a distorted picture of crime
Changing attitudes to certain offences mean that there is growing public awareness of an issue, and so more offences are reported.
30
Explain how the community policing and higher policing levels can give a distorted picture of crime
Neighbourhood police teams / neighbourhood watch schemes may lead to more crime being detected and reported.
31
Explain how changing counting rules can give a distorted picture of crime
Changing rules for the ways that police count or record crimes can lead to higher numbers being recorded.
32
Explain how the more sophisticated police training / technology can give a distorted picture of crime
Improved technology and forensic science can lead to increasing detection of crime.
33
Explain how changes in the law can give a distorted picture of crime
These can lead to more things becoming illegal.
34
Explain how easier communications can give a distorted picture of crime
Mobile phones, email and police community websites have made the reporting of crime easier.
35
Explain how people have more to lose today can give a distorted picture of crime
People have more consumer goods and insurance, so more crime is reported.
36
Name 6 limitations with Victim surveys
- People may exaggerate or lie
- People may forget they were victimised
- People may not realise they had been victims
- They don't include all crimes e.g corporate
- Victims may feel embarassed to admit they were a victim
- Consensual or victimless crimes (both parties agree to commit a crime)
37
Name 4 limitations with self-report studies
- People may exaggerate or lie
- They may ignore respondents own definition of crime
- They rely on memory
- They lack representativeness
38
Theoretical perspectives of official crime statistics: Functionalists & Right Realists
- Broadly accept statistics as accurate and representative of most crime
- Useful for establishing patterns and trends in crime
- Used as a base for forming hypotheses and building theories.
39
Theoretical perspectives of official crime statistics: Interactionism & Labelling Theorists
- Statistics are social constructions
- Only useful to reveal the stereotypes, labelling and assumptions of the public and the criminal justice system.
- The statistics cause a self-fulfilling prophecy, as the police seek out a typical offender that ‘fits’ the stereotype of the criminal.
40
Theoretical perspectives of official crime statistics: Marxists & Neo-Marxists
- Statistics provide a biased view of crime
- Under-represent the crimes of the powerful (white collar and corporate crime)
- Give the impressions that the main criminals are working class.
41
Theoretical perspectives of official crime statistics: Feminists
Statistics under represent the extent of female crime, and crimes by men against women, such as domestic violence and rape.
42
Theoretical perspectives of official crime statistics: Left Realists
Statistics are largely correct, however they exaggerate the extent of working class crime, particularly by some ethnic minority groups.
43
Are people from black ethnic groups proportionally represented in official statistics?
Overrepresented in all areas of the CJS
44
Give a statistic to show black ethnic groups overrepresentation in the prison population
- UK population: 4%
- Prison population: 13%
45
Give a statistic to show black ethnic groups overrepresentation in stop and search
7x more likely compared to white people
46
Which other ethnic group are more likely to be stopped and searched?
Asians
47
Overall what two things do neo-marxists argue about ethnic differences in crime?
- Crime by Black ethnic minorities is a result of police racism and media stereotypes.
- Official statistics reflect police racism, rather than increased criminality of black community.
48
Name the 2 Neo-Marxist sociologists who look at ethnic differences in crime?
- Gilroy
- Hall
49
What does Neo-Marxist, Gilroy, argue about the ethnic (black) differences in crime?
- Crime is a form of political resistance to racism, inequality, and police oppression.
- The idea that Black people are more criminal is a racist myth created by the media and police..
50
What does Neo-Marxist, Hall, argue about the ethnic (black) differences in crime?
- Black people don’t commit more crime than others – it's a myth.
- 1970s “black mugging” moral panic was used to distract from economic crisis.
- Media and state exaggerated Black crime to divide the working class by race.
- The Black mugger became a scapegoat or “folk devil” for social problems.
- Ruling class used this panic to justify increased policing and maintain control.
51
Left Realist Evaluation: Neo-Marxist theory on ethnic differences in crime
Black crime is often committed against other working class black people, not as an act of resistance to racism.
52
Postmodernism Evaluation: Neo-Marxist theory on ethnic differences in crime
- Harder to create moral panics in postmodern society, where the media are more diverse and news is constantly changing.
- Out of date
53
Overall what two things do labelling theorists argue about ethnic differences in crime?
- Crime by Black ethnic minorities is a result of negative police labelling and racism.
- Official statistics reflect police racism, rather than increased criminality of Black community
54
According to labelling theorists what 5 aspects of direct discrimination in the CJS.
- Stop and Search
- Institutional Racism
- Arrests and court proceedings
- Treatment in prison
- Discrimination in sentencing
55
Labelling theory: Explain Stop & Search in relation to direct discrimination in the CJS
- Black, and to a lesser extent Asian, ethnic groups are disproportionately stopped and searched.
- 9 out of 10 stop-and-searches don’t lead to arrest, showing inefficiency and bias.
- Stop & search can cause a self-fulfilling prophecy, as individuals internalise negative labels.
56
Labelling theory: Explain institutional racism in relation to direct discrimination in the CJS
- Institutional racism is widespread discrimination within police policies and practices.
- Example: Stephen Lawrence murder and 1999 MacPherson Report revealed police incompetence, delays, and mishandling.
- Police wrongly perceived Stephen as a gang member, affecting the investigation’s seriousness.
57
Labelling theory: Explain arrests and court proceedings in relation to direct discrimination in the CJS
- CPS more often drop charges against Black and Asian suspects due to weak evidence.
- This shows police may arrest these groups based on racial bias, not solid proof.
58
Labelling theory: Explain treatment in prison in relation to direct discrimination in the CJS
- Black and Asian prisoners experience harsher treatment in prison.
- They face more abuse, intimidation, violence, and denial of privileges.
59
Labelling theory: Explain discrimination in sentencing in relation to direct discrimination in the CJS
- Black offenders are more likely than whites to receive prison sentences.
- They also get longer sentences than white offenders for similar crimes.
60
According to labelling theorists what 2 aspects of indirect discrimination in the CJS.
- Mistrust of the police, less likely to plead guilty and reduce sentence
- Social position and bail, if you live poor housing you are often less likely to be given bail
61
Left Realist Evaluation: Labelling theorist view on ethnic differences in crime
Most crimes are reported by the public, not uncovered by the police, so it is hard to explain all black crime in terms of police racism.
62
Overall what do Left Realist theorists argue about ethnic differences in crime?
Accept the official statistics which show that for some offences, Black crime rates are higher
63
According to Left Realists, explain why there is ethnic differences in crime?
- Marginality: Ethnic groups face exclusion due to poor education, unemployment, and low pay, causing resentment and powerlessness.
- Relative deprivation: Many live in deprived areas and experience greater relative deprivation due to racism.
- Subculture: Marginality and deprivation lead some ethnic minorities to join subcultures that provide peer support and an outlet for frustration.
64
Evaluation: Left Realist view on ethnic differences in crime
- Not all deprived ethnic minorities turn to crime.
- For example, Bangladeshis and Pakistanis have lower crime rates despite high deprivation (Bowling & Phillips).
65
What do Bowling & Phillips overall argue about ethnic differences in crime?
Accept the official statistics which show that for some offences, Black crime rates are higher.
66
What reason do Bowling & Phillips give for why black ethnic minority groups commit more crime?
Black ethnic minority groups (e.g. black African / black Caribbean) often lack a sense of identity and community belonging.
67
What reason do Bowling & Phillips give for why black and asian ethnic minority groups commit more crime in terms of?
- Despite facing poverty and exclusion, Asian communities have lower crime rates due to:
1. Clearer cultural identity
2. Stronger family control
3. Stronger community ties and informal social control
68
