Crime definition
Behaviour that breaks formal laws
Examples of how crime is time relative
Homosexuality illegal until 1967 and death penalty abolished in 1998
Examples of how crime is culturally relative
No legal agreement for marriage in Saudi Arabia but 18 in the UK and homosexuality illegal still in Qatar
Examples of how crime is age relative
Children under 10 in the UK cannot be charged with a crime and you can drink at 16 but cannot purchase alcohol
What are offender surveys?
Ask people to report the crimes they have committed
Findings from offender surveys
year ending March 2023
Overall theft decreased by 20% + criminal damage decreased by 33%
Strengths of offender surveys
- large sample size
- captures ‘dark figure of crime
- higher validity than official statistics
Weaknesses of offender surveys
- fails to capture victimless crime
- only an estimate
- relies on subjective interpretation on whether a crime has been committed
What are victims surveys?
Collected from people who have been victims of crime
Findings from victims surveys
2021
Just 43% of victims would report a crime again
Strengths of victim surveys
- trends in particular crimes can be identified
- May uncover unreported crimes so can show dark figure of crime
Weaknesses of victim surveys
- doesn’t include all police recorded crimes
- household survey so doesn’t include homeless people
What are official statistics?
Collected by official bodies, and used in England and Wales since 1805. Show crimes reported to and recorded by the police.
Findings of official statistics
2022-2023
The overall UK crime rate saw and 8% increase from 2021
Strengths of official statistics
- acts that are deemed criminal so not reliant on victims interpretation
- compiled by government agencies so can be compared each year
Weaknesses of official statistics
- subject to changing priorities of government so not investigated
- maybe manipulated to reach government targets
