Ways of measuring crime Forensic psychology. Lesson 2 Crime an act committed in violation of the law where the consequence of conviction by court is punishment (especially a serious punishment such as imprisonment)

Starter: problems with defining crime Explain two problems in defining crime (6 marks) One problem in defining crime is ….. This problem arises because … Another issues with defining crime is …… this is because …

Outline the three methods of measuring crime Official statistics Victim survey (CSEW) Offender surveys

Measuring crime – Official Statistics Government records of reported crime. Official statistics the crimes reported to the police and recorded in the official figures that allow the government to formulate prevention strategies and police initiatives. These are published by the Home Office as a “snapshot” of the number of crimes committed across the country.

The Dark Figure of Crime Measured levels of crime, are only levels of reported crime – there is always a ‘dark figure’ of unreported crime. As with icebergs, a small proportion of crime is visible, but the bulk remains hidden from our view. I am the Dark Figure of Crime . . . Under-reported by victims . . . Under-recorded by police . . . BUT WHY DO I EXIST???? In pairs / 3’s list all the different reasons why this figure still exists may not realise they’ve been a victim, embarrassment, they may implicate themselves in a criminal act, etc. Police mistrust Fear of reprisal Police recording rules

Evaluation – Official Statistics There are many reasons why using official statistics can be useful they are cheap, readily available, provide detailed quantitative data = reliable and often representative.  Official statistics also provide data for the whole country.  Given the scarcity of resources and the expense of funding research, we would be unwise to disregard a cheap and easily available source of data. 

Police simply cannot take action against all offences which they identify, and therefore have to prioritize their activities.  The concept of police discretion implies that police officers have discretion – that is, they have the power to turn a ‘blind eye’ to offences when they feel that an offence is too minor to bother taking further action, or perhaps when they feel that the probable outcome will not warrant the effort that will be required on their part.  e.g. violent crime at the expense of traffic offences, armed robbery rather than shoplifting.

Evaluation – Official Statistics Official statistics may be selective e.g. number of crimes or conviction rates Some commentators suggest that so many crimes go unreported (25% of offences are included in the OS). Crimes may not appear in official figures for many reasons. Farrington and Dowds (1985): police in Nottinghamshire were more likely than other areas to record thefts of under £10. This is a clear weakness of Official Statistics because . . .

Evaluation – Official Statistics Figures may be massaged for political reasons Political parties use some measures rather than others. Opposition parties use crime rates that make the government look bad. The party in power use rates that show crime is falling. Crime statistics in the UK are compiled by a supposedly objective body – the office of national statistics (ONS) but questions about the validity are still often raised. This questions the extent to which figures on crime can be trusted. The criticisms demonstrate another way in which we can say that crime is socially constructed; official statistics on crime are one of the ways in which crime is socially constructed.

Measuring crime – Victim Surveys the public’s experience of crime over a particular period. 50,000 households are randomly chosen to report on the crimes that they have been a victim of in the past year and this is compiled in the Crime Survey for England and Wales. https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/crimeandjustice/bulletins/crimeinenglandan dwales/yearendingsept2016 What is the most commonly experienced offence? How many computer misuse offences were there in the year ending september 2016? Why is this report not currently a reliable measure of trends in crime? Freud 2.0 Recording improvements

Evaluation– Victim Surveys Victim surveys include crimes not officially reported, so are more accurate. “Telescoping” may happen when a person remembers an event as happening in the past year when it didn’t and this may distort the figures. However, the British Crime Survey reported a 3% increase in crimes as victims are more likely to report on crime unrecorded by police (the same year the official statistics reported a 2% decrease!) It would be relevant to discuss reasons for non-reporting of crime e.g lack of trust in police, trivial nature of some crime, fear of revenge attacks

Measuring crime – Offender Surveys individuals self-report on the types of crimes that they have committed. These people are likely to be offenders based on certain risk factors such as previous convictions, age range and socio-economic background. The Offender Crime and Justice Survey was the first national self-report of this kind; it aimed to identify trends in offending and the relationship between perpetrators and victims. Measures of self-reported offending Indicators of repeat offending Trends in the prevalence of offending, drug and alcohol use and the links between them; Information on the nature of offences committed, such as the role of co-offenders and the relationship between perpetrators and victims.

Evaluation – Offender Surveys The main strength of offender surveys is they provide insight . They gather information from on how many people are responsible for certain offences (e.g. burglaries are committed by a small number of people who commit many crimes). However, despite anonymity the offenders’ responses may be unreliable – they conceal serious crimes or even exaggerate the numbers (out of bravado) Therefore, offender surveys may be unreliable at over or under reporting. Largely ignore white collar crime – The sampling technique may mean that middle-class crimes such as corporate crime and fraud are under-represented.

Exam Practice Each statement below part(a), part(b) and part(c) applies to a different way of measuring crime. For each of these statements, identify the way of measuring crime that is most appropriate. (a)     It fails to account for all those crimes that are unreported or unrecorded. (1) (b)     It is a measure of crime that also tells us who is responsible for those crimes. (1) (c)     It measures only those crimes where someone suffers as a result of the crime. (1) (Total 3 marks)

Over to you . . . Evaluate Offender Surveys: Offender surveys provide insight into how many people are involved in particular crimes. Confidentiality is assured when offenders self-report. However, reliability may not always be reached since . . . Certain types of crime may be over-represented such as burglary or theft. Middle class crimes such as fraud and corporate crime are unlikely to be represented. This is because . . . Create 2 PEEL paragraphs for Official Statistics and Victim surveys

Outline and evaluate at least two ways of measuring crime (16marks) Exam Practice Outline and evaluate at least two ways of measuring crime (16marks)

Level Description 4 Knowledge of different ways of measuring crime is accurate and generally well detailed. Discussion is effective. The answer is clear, coherent and focused. Specialist terminology is used effectively. Minor detail and/or expansion of argument sometimes lacking. 3 Knowledge of different ways of measuring crime is evident. There are occasional inaccuracies. There is some effective discussion. The answer is mostly clear and organised. Specialist terminology mostly used effectively. 2 Knowledge of different ways of measuring crime is present. Focus is mainly on description. Any discussion is of limited effectiveness. The answer lacks clarity, accuracy and organisation in places. Specialist terminology used inappropriately on occasions. 1 Knowledge of different ways of measuring crime is limited. Discussion is limited, poorly focused or absent. The answer as a whole lacks clarity, has many inaccuracies and is poorly organised. Specialist terminology either absent or inappropriately used. No relevant content.

Mark scheme Possible content Official Home Office statistics Victim surveys (CSEW formerly BCS) Offender surveys Possible discussion points No fully acceptable way of defining crime – crime as social construction • Official statistics may be selective e.g. number of crimes or conviction rates? Figures may be massaged for political reasons Victim surveys include crimes not officially reported, so are more accurate It would be relevant to discuss reasons for non-reporting of crime eg lack of trust in police, trivial nature of some crime, fear of revenge attacks Offender surveys may be unreliable – over or under reporting; largely ignore white collar crime Note that problems in defining crime are not referred to in the question and answers not covering definitions can receive marks across the board. However, as definitions and measurement are necessarily linked, discussion of ways of defining crime can be credited. Credit other relevant materials.

Thinking ladder activity Use your thinking ladder booklet to choose an activity to complete on everything we have covered in forensic psychology so far.