L3 understanding crime statistics

What are the two main sources of crime statistics?

Official statistics and victimisation surveys, especially the Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW). Rewrite this in your own words and cite the lecture if you use it in an assignment.

According to the realist view, what do official crime statistics represent?

They are seen as an official record of crime in society, reflecting the extent, patterns, and trends of crime.

What does the constructivist perspective argue about crime statistics?

It argues that crime statistics are social constructs and tell us more about how criminal justice agencies work than about crime itself.

What is the National Crime Recording Standard (NCRS), and when was it introduced?

The NCRS was introduced in 2002 to standardise police crime recording.

What is meant by the “justice gap” or attrition in crime statistics?

It is the filtering out of crime as cases move through the criminal justice system, so incidents may result in no prosecution, conviction, or sentencing.

What is “cuffing” in relation to police recorded crime?

It refers to the rare practice of police not recording reported crime; it is also linked to the “grey figure.”

What are three common problems when deconstructing official crime statistics?

They may exclude some crimes, crime definitions can change over time, and recording/counting rules or policing practices can affect what is recorded.

What are police recorded crime data useful for?

They are used to understand crime trends, identify crime hot spots, support evidence-based policy, inform intelligence-led policing, and study media/public fear of crime.

What is the purpose of the Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW)?

It helps uncover the hidden “dark figure” of crime, gives more detail about victimisation, and collects views on crime and criminal justice agencies.

What are three things statistics do not tell us about crime?

They do not tell us why the crime happened, the impact on the victim or family, or the specific details of the crime.

How do you calculate the mean, median, and mode?

Mean = add all values and divide by the number of observations; median = middle value after ordering the data; mode = the value that occurs most often.

What is the range, and how is it calculated?

The range measures the spread of the data and is calculated by subtracting the smallest value from the largest value.

What is interquartile range (IQR), and what does it measure?

IQR measures variability in the middle 50% of the data. It is calculated as Q3 minus Q1.

What are the main features of quantitative study design?

It uses positivism, numerical data, large samples, closed questions, research questions plus hypotheses, and aims for generalisable and representative findings.

What are the main sampling methods listed?

Random, systematic, stratified, quota, snowball, and opportunity sampling. Always rewrite these in your own words and check the original source when studying.