Defining and measuring crime -A-Level Psychology
Crime-any act that breaks the law where the consequence of conviction by a court is punishment e.g. imprisonment.
Problems in defining crime:
Cultural issues in defining crime-what is considered a crime in one culture may not be judged as such in another.
Historical issues-definitions of crime change over time e.g in 2004 a parent’s right to smack their child was outlawed.
Ways of measuring crime:
Official statistics
-are government records of the total number of crimes reported and recorded in the official figures
-published by the home office on an annual basis
-give an insight into the number of crimes occurring across the country and in specific regions
-crime prevention strategies and policing initiatives can be developed to areas most in need
Victim surveys
–record people’s experience of crime over a specific period.
-The crime survey for England and Wales asks people to document the crimes they have been a victim of in the past year.
-50000 households are randomly selected to take part in the survey.This has enabled the office for national statistics to produce crime figures.
Offender surveys
-involve individuals volunteering details of the number and types of crimes they have committed.
-these tend to target groups of likely offenders based on risk factors such as previous convictions,age range and social background.
-the offender crime and justice survey which ran from 2003-2006 ,was a self -report survey.It measured self reported offending and indicators of repeat offending,trends in the prevalence of offending,drug and alcohol use,the role of co-offenders and the relationship between perpetrators and victims.
Evaluation:
Official statistics-unreliable as they significantly underestimate the true extent of crime as some crimes go unreported by victims or unrecorded by police.25% of offences are included in official figures.The other 75% is referred to as the dark figure of crime,that do not appear in the official statistics for many reasons e.g.variations in police recording rules.A study conducted by Farrington and Dowds 1985 found that that police in Nottinghamshire were more likely than other regions to record thefts of under £10 and this explained an apparent spike of thefts in the area.This suggests that policing priorities may distort official figures.
Victim surveys-are more likely to include details of crimes that were not reported to police so may be more accurate than official statistics.In 2006/2007 official statistics suggested a 2% decrease in crime from the previous year whereas the British crime survey showed a 3% increase.Telescoping may occur where a victim may misremember an event as happening in the past year when it did not and this may distort figures.
Offender surveys-provide insight into how many people are responsible for certain offences.Although confidentiality in offender surveys is assures,responses may be unreliable.The targeted nature of the survey means that certain types of crime are overrepresented ,whereas middle class offences such as corporate crime and fraud are unlikely to be included.
Crime refers to any behavior that is prohibited by law and punishable by the legal system. It can include a wide range of actions, such as theft, assault, murder, fraud, and more.
Crime can be defined and measured using various approaches in A-Level Psychology. These may include legal definitions, social definitions, and psychological definitions. Measurement methods may include official statistics, self-report surveys, and victimization surveys.
A-Level Psychology explores various theories to explain crime, including the biological, psychological, and sociocultural theories. Biological theories focus on genetic and physiological factors, psychological theories examine individual personality traits and cognitive processes, and sociocultural theories consider the influence of social and cultural factors on crime.
A-Level Psychology uses various methods to analyze crime rates and trends. These may include examining official statistics, conducting comparative analyses, identifying patterns and trends over time, and exploring factors that may contribute to changes in crime rates, such as social, economic, and political factors.
Measuring crime can have limitations in A-Level Psychology. These may include issues such as underreporting or overreporting of crime, the reliability and validity of measurement methods, biases in data collection, and the impact of cultural and social factors on crime reporting.
Criminologists and psychologists in A-Level Psychology use crime data to study and analyze patterns, trends, and factors related to crime. This can help inform theories, policies, and interventions aimed at understanding and preventing crime, as well as improving the criminal justice system.
Ethical considerations in studying crime in A-Level Psychology may include issues such as protecting the privacy and confidentiality of research participants, ensuring informed consent, minimizing potential harm or bias in research, and adhering to ethical guidelines and principles set forth by relevant professional organizations.
Understanding crime can provide A-Level Psychology students with a comprehensive understanding of human behavior, social dynamics, and the criminal justice system. It can also help students critically evaluate theories and research related to crime, develop research and analytical skills, and apply psychological concepts to real-world issues.
A-Level Psychology students with a strong understanding of crime may pursue various career opportunities, including working as criminologists, forensic psychologists, criminal justice professionals, policymakers, researchers, and academics. These careers may involve working in law enforcement, criminal justice agencies, research institutions, government agencies, or non-profit organizations.
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