The Social Construction of Crime Statistics (AQA A-Level Sociology): Flashcards
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OCS definition
OCS definition
Data compiled by police, published quarterly by government
Social construction of crime stats
Social construction of crime stats
Shaped by human decisions & institutional processes, not objective
Dark figure of crime
Dark figure of crime
Offences that never appear in official records
Fear of reprisals as reporting barrier
Fear of reprisals as reporting barrier
Victims fear escalated violence/intimidation after involving police
Clear-up rates definition
Clear-up rates definition
Proportion of crimes 'solved' through charges or other outcomes
CSEW full name & start year
CSEW full name & start year
Crime Survey of England & Wales, operating since 1981
% of crimes reported to police (CSEW finding)
% of crimes reported to police (CSEW finding)
Only about 25%
Self-report studies finding on class & crime
Self-report studies finding on class & crime
Middle-class males as likely to offend as working-class males
Functionalist/positivist view on OCS
Functionalist/positivist view on OCS
Accept OCS as broadly accurate & useful for identifying patterns
Interpretivist view on crime statistics
Interpretivist view on crime statistics
Socially constructed, reflect institutional biases not objective measures
Marxist view on OCS
Marxist view on OCS
Systematically biased, laws selectively enforced vs working class
Left realist view on crime (Lea & Young)
Left realist view on crime (Lea & Young)
Crime represents genuine problem affecting deprived communities
Stanley Cohen's research focus (1972)
Stanley Cohen's research focus (1972)
Folk Devils & Moral Panics - media exaggeration of crime patterns
Cicourel's study finding on police bias
Cicourel's study finding on police bias
Middle-class youths got warnings; working-class faced charges
Victimisation surveys purpose
Victimisation surveys purpose
Ask people about crimes against them, regardless of police report