2.

Learning table on primary quantitative measures of crime

Self report studies (SRS) Victim surveys (VS) Synoptic links for OCS, SRS. VS
What are they? What are they? Research methods/methodology

These confidential surveys involve asking respondents to admit to offences they have committed. VS involve asking individuals about their experiences of crime, their fears of crime and their views on Official crime statistics
They take the form of a self-completion questionnaire. the criminal justice system. Two main types of victim surveys have been carried out: local (e.g.  Quantitative method.
Islington Crime Survey) & national (e.g. BCS).  Secondary/documentary data.
Advantages Disadvantages Advantages Disadvantages  Advantages from a positivist point of view.
 Self-report studies call into question the  Some self-report studies have been  They call into question the accuracy of  The findings may not be totally valid or  Limitations from an interactionist point of
accuracy of OCS. For example, SRS criticised for measuring ‘trivial’ deviant acts. OCS. This is because they highlight high accurate. This is because victims may view.
show that 50-90% of people admit to For example Cambell’s survey included levels of unreported and unrecorded crime. forget relevant incidents, make offences Self report studies
crimes that could result in a court deviant acts such dropping litter. This For example, in 2005 the BCS revealed up, be unaware they have been a victim,  Quantitative primary method.
appearance. Furthermore OCS show a makes comparisons with official statistics that only 42% of crimes were reported by and may conceal crimes. For example,  Surveys used - self-completion
working class to middle class crime ratio invalid as they measure serious crime victims and of those only 75% were victims may conceal crimes because of questionnaires.
of 5:1, whereas SRS indicate a ratio of (notifiable offences). recorded by the police. Victim surveys loyalty, guilt, fear or embarrassment.  Advantages of method.
1.5:1. Self-report studies therefore help therefore help reveal the extent of the ‘dark  Disadvantages of method.
reveal the extent of the ‘dark figure’ of  Participants may not tell the truth, thus figure’ of crime.  There are problems generalising from Victim surveys
crime, especially white-collar crime. lowering the validity of the findings. victim surveys. It is difficult to generalise  Quantitative primary method.
Respondents may conceal or exaggerate  Victim surveys serve to provide vital from the findings of local victim surveys.  Surveys used - structured/formal face to face
offending. Independent tests have shown information about social patterns of This is because the sampling is interviews.
 It is possible to use the statistics to that around 20% of participants lie in self- victimisation and fear of crime. For geographically focused. On the other  Main types - local & national.
generate and test sociological report studies. example the BCS has revealed that inner hand national surveys conceal local  Advantages of method.
explanations of crime. For example, they city residents, ethnic minorities and low variations. For example, very high levels  Disadvantages of method.
highlight the limitations of functionalist  Many self-report studies cannot claim to be income households are more likely to be of crime in certain areas of Nottingham.
explanations which assume that crime is representative as their sample is often victims and fear crime than other social Theories/perspectives
mainly a working class and male problem. restricted to juvenile delinquency. As a groups.  It is difficult to make comparisons with ocs
consequence little information exists on self because victims surveys interview  Positivism - positive response to official
 They provide useful data for governments reported domestic violence, child abuse  The findings of local and national victim households. Thus they neglect crimes crime statistics.
and the police to target crime and and fraud surveys have had a major effect on polices such as fraud, shoplifting, motoring  Interactionism - negative response to official
offenders. to tackle crime and aid victims. For offences and possession of drugs. crime statistics.
 Recent Home Office household self-report example, the placement of CCTV cameras
studies have been criticised for omitting and the way rape cases are handled by the  Changes in public attitudes towards crime Other topics
groups who may be regarded as ‘higher- police. can affect victim survey data over time.
rate offenders’ (e.g. children in care and in For example, if people become more or Power & politics
custodial institutions).  National victim surveys are less concerned about crime this is likely
methodologically advanced. For example to affect willingness to report crime to  White-collar crimes are mainly committed by
the BCS is carried out annually with a sociologists. the powerful. For various reasons they are
sample size of 40,000 and has a response more difficult for powerful agencies of social
rate over 75%. control (police) to detect & therefore powerful
white-collar crimes are under-represented in
official crime statistics.
 Cybercrimes - tend to breakdown class
barriers. Committed by powerful and powerless
groups and individuals.
 Police practices - the police are a powerful
agency of social control. They use their power
to selectively record crime. The police also
selectively enforce the law so that powerless
groups are more likely to find their way into
crime statistics than powerful groups.

In conclusion primary quantitative methods provide an invaluable means of highlighting limitations of OCS. They are crucial in revealing the extent of the dark figure of hidden crime. For example, the 2005 BCS estimates the dark figure to be in the region of
5 million notifiable (serious) offences each year. However, it is more difficult to generalise from these primary sources because they are based on smaller data sets than OCS.

Extra reading
Pilkington et al. - pages 207-215, 230-233
Haralambos & Holborn - pages 338-346
Lawson & Heaton - pages 12- 46