Criminology AC1.1 – Types of Crime

Vocabulary practice flashcards covering definitions, examples, reasons for non-reporting, and key concepts from Criminology AC1.1 – Types of Crime.

White-collar crime

Crime committed by relatively high-status people, often for financial gain.

White-collar offences

Offences committed by high-status individuals for financial gain, including fraud, embezzlement, and bribery.

Ponzi scheme

A fraudulent investment operation where money from new investors is used to pay earlier investors.

Unreported white-collar crime

Occurs when victims do not realise they have been victimised, feel embarrassed, or believe they cannot recover their money.

Organised crime

Crime planned and carried out by a group, often repeatedly.

Organised-crime offences

Offences executed by structured groups, such as drug trafficking, extortion, and money laundering.

Unreported organised crime

Failure to report gang or syndicate offences due to fear of retaliation, intimidation, or distrust of authorities.

Corporate crime

Illegal or harmful activity carried out by a company or for its benefit.

Corporate crime offences

Harmful business practices conducted on behalf of a company, including unsafe working practices and illegal pollution.

Employee non-reporting (corporate crime)

The reluctance of staff to disclose company misconduct due to fear of dismissal or retaliation.

Professional crime

Crime committed by using occupational skills, access, or professional trust.

Professional crime (example)

An offence such as a financial adviser stealing a client's money using their occupational position.

Moral/immoral crime

Offences linked to contested moral beliefs; it does not constitute a single precise legal category.

Crime versus deviance

Crime constitutes conduct that breaks criminal law, whereas deviance refers to behaviour that breaks social norms.

State crime

Harmful or illegal actions committed by a state or its agents.

Unreported state crime

Failure or inability to report state-sponsored offences due to secrecy, censorship, and fear of retaliation.

Technological crime

Crime using or targeting digital technology or networks.

Technological crime offences

Digital offences such as phishing, identity theft, and unauthorised access.

Unreported online fraud

The failure to disclose digital deception caused by embarrassment, uncertainty, or the belief that reporting will not help.

Domestic abuse

Harm within interpersonal relationships that can include physical, emotional, coercive, controlling, sexual, or financial abuse.

Unreported domestic abuse

Non-reporting of partner or familial abuse driven by fear, dependence, shame, housing worries, or concern for children.

Hate crime

A criminal offence with a relevant prejudice or hostility element under the law.

Hate crime target groups

Protected identity characteristics subjected to bias-motivated crimes: race, religion, disability, sexuality, or transgender identity.

Unreported hate crime

Non-reporting of hostility-driven offences caused by fear, disbelief, discrimination, or inaccessible reporting systems.

Honour-based abuse

Abuse justified by a perpetrator as protecting family or community 'honour'.

Cultural justification in abuse

A cultural excuse that does not legalise abuse; threats, coercion, and violence remain harmful and may be criminal.

Unreported honour-based abuse

Concealment of honour-related crimes driven by fear of retaliation, isolation, homelessness, or being sent abroad.

Personal reasons for offending

Individual factors that motivate criminal behaviour, such as greed, fear, opportunity, prejudice, or desire for control.

Social and cultural influences

Broader environmental forces affecting offending and perception, such as norms, beliefs, stigma, inequality, and community attitudes.

Under-reporting

A scenario when crime occurs but is not reported to, or recorded by, authorities.

Victim reasons for non-reporting

Psychological reactions preventing victims from contacting authorities, such as fear, shame, trauma, or distrust.

Practical barriers to reporting

Logistical obstacles that prevent individuals from reporting crime, including language barriers and inaccessible services.

Groups facing extra reporting barriers

Specific demographics that encounter heightened obstacles to reporting: some women, young people, minorities, LGBTQ+, and disabled people.

Reporting patterns of marginalised groups

The observation that marginalised groups are not always less likely to report crime; reporting patterns vary by offence and circumstances.

Unreported low-level crime

Failure to report minor offences because people view them as minor, normal, or not worth reporting.

Reported crime rate vs. actual crime rate

The criminological reality that higher recorded crime does not automatically reflect higher incidence, as awareness or easier reporting may increase reports.

Limitation of official crime statistics

The fundamental flaw that official crime data misses offences that are never reported or recorded.

Personal vs. social/cultural factors

A distinction where personal factors are individual, whereas social and cultural factors concern wider norms and conditions.

Group trends in criminology

The standard of describing patterns using cautious language while avoiding stereotypes or absolute claims.

Exam point structure (crime types)

A four-step analytical format: define it, give an example, explain a factor, and consider reporting or awareness.