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Summary AS/A level Psychology - Forensic Psychology: Defining and Measuring Crime $5.20   Add to cart

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Summary AS/A level Psychology - Forensic Psychology: Defining and Measuring Crime

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PLEASE NOTE THAT THE PREVIEW OF THE POSTER HAS MOVED SOME OF THE TEXTBOXES, HOWEVER, ONCE DOWLOADED THIS ISSUE WILL BE SOLVED. THANK YOU! A summary of ways of defining and measuring crime. Includes information regarding: problems in defining crimes (cultural and historical issues), official s...

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  • Forensic psychology chapter
  • January 27, 2021
  • January 27, 2021
  • 2
  • 2019/2020
  • Summary
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Defining and Measuring Crime
Offender surveys
Problems in defining crime
 Involves individuals detailing the number and types of crime they have committed.
  Laws aretend
These often
to subject and notofall
target groups actsoffenders
likely that breakbased
the law
on are
‘risk’punished.
factors such as previous convictions, age range,
 What
socialcounts as a crime
background etc. varies from culture to culture as well as over time.
 The Offender Crime and Justice Survey measured self-report offending but also looked at indicators of repeat
Cultural issues in defining crimes
offending, drug and alcohol use and the role of co-offenders.
 In 2014, forced marriage was made illegal in the UK, yet this is still practised in some cultures.
+ Shows how many people are responsible for certain offences.
Historical issues in defining crime
+ Ethical issues – the offenders are kept confidential.
 - Definitions of crime –change overmay
time.
May be unreliable offenders conceal the more serious crimes or may exaggerate their crimes to show off.
 - Homosexuality was considered a crime in England until 1967; this shows that some crimes are both historically
Certain types of crime may be overrepresented.
- and
Theculturally
targetedspecific.
nature of the survey means that certain crimes (such as burglary) are overrepresented, whereas
‘middle-class’ offences such as corporate crime and fraud are unlikely to be included.

Ways of measuring crime
A multidisciplinary approach is normally undertaken which is a combination of all available methods to provide the best
insight into the true extent of offending.


Official statistics Victim surveys
 Official statistics are government records of the  Victim surveys record people’s experience of crime
total number of crimes reported to police and over a specific period.
recorded in the official figures.  The Crime Survey for England and Wales collects
 This allows the government to develop crime data from 50,000 households about the crimes they
prevention strategies and policing initiatives, as well have been a victim to in the past year.
as direct resources to those areas most in need.
+ Greater detail of accuracy than official stats because more
- Unreliable as they underestimate the true
details of crimes are included – 2006/07 official stats
extent of crime – only 25% of crimes are
suggested a 2% decrease in crime whereas the British Crime
included; the other 75% make up the ‘dark
Survey showed a 3% increase.
figure’ of crime.
- Policing priorities may distort the official - ‘Telescoping’ may occur – where a victim may
statistics – Farrington: Nottinghamshire police misremember an event happening in the past year
were more likely to record thefts of under £10 when it didn’t happen.
compared to other regions. - Ethical issues – the victim doesn’t want to ‘re-live’
- Lacks validity. the crime.
- Reductionist - they only count the number of - Some people may be unaware that they have been
criminal acts, rather than the number of a victim of crime (e.g. burglary of single items) –
criminals, so the overall picture might be lowers the validity?
misleading. - Victims are more likely to report trivial offences in
these surveys, things they wouldn’t go to the police
with, as they might think it a waste of time –
increases the validity?

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