The social distribution of crime: key terms
12 terms. Say the definition out loud, tap to check, then say whether you knew it. Back to the topic
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Official statistics
Figures on crime collected by the state, such as police recorded crime and conviction data.
Exam tip They miss the 'dark figure'. Say what the statistics show and why it may be misleading.
Dark figure of crime
The crime that is never reported to or recorded by the police.
Exam tip Use victim and self-report studies to show it.
Victim surveys
Surveys asking people about crimes committed against them, such as the Crime Survey for England and Wales.
Exam tip They find more crime than the police record, but miss crimes without an individual victim.
Self-report studies
Surveys asking people to admit to crimes they have committed.
Exam tip They show crime is more evenly spread across classes than official figures suggest.
Chivalry thesis
The claim that the justice system treats women more leniently than men.
Exam tip Pollak. Evaluate with Heidensohn and Carlen, who show women may be treated more harshly when they break gender norms.
Double deviance
The idea that female offenders are punished for breaking the law and for breaking gender norms.
Exam tip Heidensohn. A good counter to the chivalry thesis.
Liberation thesis
Adler's claim that as women become more equal, their crime rates will rise.
Exam tip Evaluate: the rise in female crime began before the women's movement.
Masculinity and crime
The idea that some men commit crime to achieve a masculine identity.
Exam tip Messerschmidt's 'accomplishing masculinity'. Applies across classes.
Ethnicity and crime
The patterns of offending and victimisation among different ethnic groups, and the debate over whether they reflect real differences or the justice system.
Exam tip Separate left realism (real differences) from neo-Marxist views (Hall's policing the crisis).
Stop and search
Police powers to stop and search people they suspect of carrying something illegal.
Exam tip Black people are stopped at much higher rates. Use it to discuss bias in the system.
Relative deprivation
Feeling deprived in comparison with others, such as people of the same age or with similar backgrounds.
Exam tip Key to left realism; links class and ethnicity to crime.
Victimisation
The experience of being a victim of crime.
Exam tip The poor, the young and some minority ethnic groups are more likely to be victims: a point often missed.
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