Week 9

Question 1

1 Define official crime statistics and explain how they are compiled in the UK

Answer 1

Official crime statistics are government records of crimes reported to and recorded by the police. In the UK they are compiled from police forces and published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS), using data recorded under the National Crime Recording Standard.

Question 2

2 What are victim surveys, and how do they differ from official statistics

Answer 2

Victim surveys (e.g. CSEW) ask people about their experiences of crime, including unreported offences. Unlike official statistics, they include the dark figure of crime and are not dependent on police recording.

Question 3

3 Outline two strengths of the Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW)

Answer 3

Includes unreported crime, improving validity. Uses a large, representative sample, making results more reliable and generalisable.

Question 4

4 Outline two limitations of the Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW)

Answer 4

Excludes crimes against businesses and under-16s. Relies on memory and honesty, which may lead to inaccurate responses.

Question 5

5 Explain how self-report studies contribute to our understanding of offending patterns

Answer 5

Self-report studies ask individuals to admit offences anonymously, revealing hidden offending and showing crime is widespread across social groups, challenging stereotypes from official statistics.

Question 6

6 How do Marxists critique the use of official statistics in measuring crime

Answer 6

Marxists argue statistics reflect ruling-class interests by focusing on working-class street crime while ignoring elite and corporate crime.

Question 7

7 How do Interactionists critique the use of official statistics in measuring crime

Answer 7

Interactionists argue statistics are socially constructed through police labelling and discretion, reflecting enforcement patterns rather than real crime levels.

Question 8

8 Outline the three reasons to evidence that crime is a social construct

Answer 8

Laws change over time and place. Crime depends on who has power to define it. Statistics depend on police decisions and public reporting.

Question 9

9 What is meant by the dark figure of crime, and how does it challenge the validity of official statistics?

Answer 9

The dark figure refers to crimes not reported or recorded, meaning official statistics underestimate true crime levels.

Question 10

10 How might police discretion and recording practices affect the reliability of crime statistics?

Answer 10

Police may selectively stop, search, record or ignore offences, so statistics reflect policing priorities and bias rather than actual crime patterns.