FORENSICS: Defining and measuring crime

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What is a crime?
Behaviours which violate the law that therefore warrant punishment.
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What are official statistics?
Figures based on the number of crimes reported and recorded by police.
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What is a victim/victimisation survey?
A random sample of people are surveyed to ask which crimes have been committed against them in a fixed period of time and whether they have reported it.
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What is an offender survey?
Individuals volunteer details of the number and types of crime they have committed over specified period.
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What are two problems with using official statistics?
Underestimates the true extent of crime due to lack of reporting or recording. It can also involve subjective decisions for whether or not to record crimes.
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What are two problems with defining crime?
Historical and cultural
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Why are there differences between reported and recorded crime?
Police have to be satisfied a crime has actually been committed and so subjective judgement is exercised. Some areas may dismiss more petty crimes whilst others will record them more.
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How are official statistics used by the government?
To inform crime prevention strategies.
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What is the CSEW (Crime Survey for England and Wales)?
Conducts face-to-face interviews with a sample of over 35000 adults and 3000 children aged between 10-15.
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What are the strength/s of official statistics?
Useful snapshot to highlight problems in certain areas, leading to better crime prevention.
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What are the strength/s of victim surveys?
Can include unreported and unrecorded "black figure" crime. A large sample size is also used for the CSEW and it uses random sampling, making it generalisable.
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What are the weaknesses of victim surveys?
'Telescoping'- where a victim remembers something happening recently due to fresh trauma, but it happened at a different time. People may also not understand what is and isn't a crime.
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What are the strength/s of offender surveys?
Insight into the number of criminals responsible for certain crimes.
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What are the weakness/es of offender surveys?
Not everyone will want to admit to being an offender, or crimes may be exaggerated for bravado. Some crimes may be over/under represented as respondents are targeted for being likely offenders, which may leave out "white-collar" crime.
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What are some examples of cultural differences in defining and measuring crime?
Abortion laws in Ireland, age of consent, drinking age (other suggestions are relevant).
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What are some examples of historical differences in defining and measuring crime?
Homosexuality illegal until 1968, teachers allowed to hit students until 1986- independent schools held out until 1998.
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Why aren't crimes reported or recorded?
Consider to be a 'domestic matter', people are embarrassed about what has happened, Police or victim don't believe it to be serious enough, too scared to report it, not wanting to go through the lengthy process of court.
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What is the estimated "dark figure"?
75%
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What causes false increases in crime rates?
Increased reporting and recording of crime.
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Why is the government more likely to quote official statistics than alternative methods such as the BCS?
hese often show lower levels of crime than methods such as the BCS. The government will focus on measures that show crime is falling, as this makes it appear that their crime policies have been successful.
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Why would it be better to use a multidisciplinary approach when measuring crime?
By using all three measures we get a ‘fuller’ picture of the extent of crime and find out about the dark figure.
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Who publishes official statistics?
The Home Office.
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Other cards in this set

Card 2

Front

What are official statistics?

Back

Figures based on the number of crimes reported and recorded by police.

Card 3

Front

What is a victim/victimisation survey?

Back

Preview of the front of card 3

Card 4

Front

What is an offender survey?

Back

Preview of the front of card 4

Card 5

Front

What are two problems with using official statistics?

Back

Preview of the front of card 5
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