Defining and measuring crime
- Created by: emmarhianne
- Created on: 20-02-17 18:08
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- Defining and measuring crime
- Crime can be defined as any act that breaks the law and therefore warrants some form of punishment
- What might be considered a crime in one culture may not be judged as one in another
- Forced marriage is illegal in UK but not others
- Definitions of crime change over time
- Parents right to smack a child was outlawed in 2004
- What might be considered a crime in one culture may not be judged as one in another
- Official stats: government records of the total number of crimes reported to police and recorded in official figures
- Allows government to direct resources and develop crime prevention strategies
- Consistency: they are general trends in crimes to suggest data collected is in fact correct
- Victim Surveys: record people's experiences of crime over a specific period of time; published on an annual basis
- Offender surveys: individuals volunteering details of the number and type of crimes they've committed
- Increases knowledge about young people and behaviour and produce information about extent of offending, anti-social behaviour and drug use.
- Self report data: lack of accuracy in answers-offenders may underplay their involvement
- Insight: offender surveys provide insight into how many people are responsible for certain crimes and why
- The crime survey cap any reported crimes to 5 in one year: underestimation + an issue with random sampling: only 75% of people contacted take part-leads to biased sample
- Considered that victim surveys may be more consistent than official stats as official stats vary with changes in the law+ victims are more likely to include details of cries not reported by the police- greater accuracy
- Offender surveys: individuals volunteering details of the number and type of crimes they've committed
- Unreliable: they have been criticised for underestimating the true extent of crime. WALKER ET AL found only 42% of crimes were reported to the police
- Crime can be defined as any act that breaks the law and therefore warrants some form of punishment
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