Sociology · May / June 2023 · Paper 21 · Question 3
0495
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Crime rates are measured in different ways by sociologists and governments. Two examples of how crime can be measured are official crime statistics and self-report studies. As well as looking 3 at what types of crimes are committed, the measurements can also include which social groups commit recorded crimes or are victims of crimes.
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3(a)[2]
What is meant by the term ‘official crime statistics’? One mark for partial definition, e.g. how many people commit crime;
Two marks for clear definition, e.g. government figures on the numbers of crimes committed and the offenders.
3(b)[4]
Describe two punishments for crime in modern industrial societies. Possible answers:
incarceration −prisons are used to lock criminals away and to remove their freedom;death penalty − in some MIS’s the most serious crimes can be punished by death e.g. USA;community sentencing − being required to give something back to the community against whom the criminal offended e.g. litter picking;electronic tagging − being monitored by the formal agencies and having personal freedoms restricted as punishment for crime e.g. curfews;ostracism − being shunned and ignored within a community because of the crime committed;exile − being sent away from the community due to the crime committed;fines − criminals must pay a monetary sum in order to ‘pay for’ their crime;rehabilitation − counselling or psychological or addiction services may be a compulsory part of a criminal’s programme of rehabilitation and punishment;any other reasonable response. One mark for each point correctly identified (up to a maximum of two). One mark for each point that is developed (up to a maximum of two).3(c)[6]
Explain how crimes can be committed online. Possible answers:
cybercrimes − crimes involving the use of new technologies − these are often the digital equivalent of crimes that existed previously e.g. online frauds and scams;new technology specific crimes − new crimes have been created with the advent of digital technology e.g. catfishing, phishing etc.;online crimes can be committed by individuals, groups, organisations or by the state;targeting victims through their computer − e.g. infecting PCs or networks or security systems with a virus;easy to get away with as difficult to police − cybercrimes are notoriously difficult to police and control e.g. the criminals may have far more advanced technological understanding than the formal agents and so find committing online crimes easy;global − cybercrimes tend to cross borders and are thus global in scale e.g. ‘sweetheart scams’, fraud etc.;illegal file sharing − with media now being both digital and global, it has become much easier to infringe copyright and to download/stream/file share illegally;organised crime − this is typically coordinated through the internet e.g. human trafficking, drug dealing etc.;cyberterrorism − the internet is used for widespread, deliberate attacks on computers and computer networks e.g. hacking of government sites;any other reasonable response. Band 0 [0 marks] No creditworthy response. Band 1 [1−3 marks] Answers in this band will show only a limited awareness of the question. Responses may be short and un/underdeveloped. At the bottom of the band (1 mark), expect one weak point. Higher in the band (2–3 marks), candidates may offer more than one weak point, but there may be a tendency towards simplistic answers, engaging with sociological ideas without using sociological language. Band 2 [4−6 marks] Answers in this band will have clear and accurate explanation, showing good sociological knowledge and understanding. Sociological terms and concepts should be expected and explained. At the bottom of the band, the range of points covered may be narrow or lack detail. Higher in the band, answers will cover more than one point in a well−developed way or cover several points in less detail.3(d)[8]
Explain why crime rates for some ethnic groups are higher than for others. Possible answers:
labelling theory − Becker − some ethnic groups are stereotyped as ‘criminal’ and are thus targeted by the police − they are therefore more likely to be caught;institutional racism − if society and/or organisations are inherently racist, then some ethnic groups will not have the same opportunities as others and will be treated more harshly by the formal agents e.g. the McPherson Report UK;demographics − most crime is committed by young people;some ethnic groups have a higher proportion of young people than the majority group so more crime would be expected of them;
resistance − if racialised social inequalities exist within a society then some minority ethnic groups are likely to feel disillusioned with society and turn to crime as a form of resistance;gangs − gangs tend to form along racial lines;those ethnic groups most heavily involved in gang lifestyles are most likely to commit crimes;
relative deprivation − Lea and Young − when minority ethnic groups share the same values and aspirations as wider society but have fewer legitimate means to achieve them, these groups may feel marginalised and so turn to crime in order to achieve these goals illegally;greater economic success − those ethnic groups who have economic capital within a society are least likely to commit crime;socialisation and community involvement − those ethnic groups who have strong bonds of attachment (Hirschi) to their community/religion/ family are least likely to commit crime;status frustration − Cohen − those ethnic groups with lower educational qualifications who have not achieved well in education are most likely to turn to crime to get status in a different way;any other reasonable response. Band 0 [0 marks] No creditworthy response. Band 1 [1−3 marks] Answers in this band will show only a limited awareness of the question. A tendency to description is likely. Responses may be short and undeveloped and points stated without explanation. Sociological terms and concepts are unlikely to be used. At the bottom of the band (1 mark), expect one weak point. Higher in the band (2–3 marks), candidates may offer more than one weak point. Band 2 [4−6 marks] Answers in this band will show basic sociological knowledge and understanding. Responses maybe underdeveloped and lacking in range. At the bottom of the band, candidates are unlikely to use sociological terms and concepts accurately. Higher in the band, candidates may be beginning to use sociological terms and concepts with greater accuracy. However, some aspects of the answer may only be partially developed/explained. Band 3 [7−8 marks] Answers in this band will show good sociological knowledge and understanding and will be well−developed and explained. Sociological terms and concepts will be used accurately overall. Answers will be well−focused on the question and there will be a range of points presented. At the top of the band explanations will be clear throughout.3(e)[15]
To what extent can self−report studies provide an accurate measurement of crime? Possible answers: Arguments for:
confidential − as self−report studies (SRS) are carried out confidentially, respondents may be more likely to tell the truth as they do not worry about being exposed as a criminal;dark figure − SRSs can find out about crimes that do not feature in the official crime statistics (OCS) and so can produce a more valid understanding of crimes committed;who are the criminals − SRSs can challenge the notion of the ‘typical offender’ as their results demonstrate that all social groups commit crime e.g. greater numbers of female and middle class criminals are revealed in SRSs than in the OCS so giving a more accurate picture of crime;the use of self–report data is now well established in the study of crime and deviance − such as sexual deviance, problem drinking, and mental disorders. It is thought to offer useful additional information to provide a more accurate measurement;self−report studies try to overcome the socially constructed nature of the official crime statistics by considering unreported and unrecorded crimes in their research to reach a more accurate conclusion;quantitative data − the ‘tick list’ format of SRSs allows for a large sample to be questioned and for patterns and trends in criminality to be easily identified and compared in order to improve accuracy of understanding;victimless crimes − self−report studies can investigate victimless crimes e.g. illegal drugs, prostitution, which will not be revealed in official measures of crime and so produces a more accurate picture of crime;longitudinal − SRSs can be longitudinal in nature, allowing researchers to document criminal behaviour over time and to more accurately understand criminality than a snapshot picture provided by official sources;any other reasonable response. Arguments against:not admitting to crimes − there is no guarantee that respondents answering SRSs will tell the truth, this could compromise their validity;over−exaggerating criminality − as SRSs are sometimes done in a group environment there is a risk that respondents may exaggerate the crimes they have committed to impress their peers, so reducing accuracy;memory − SRSs rely on participant’s memories which may not be accurate;sample − many SRSs are carried out on young people which is not representative of all criminals and therefore cannot be generalised − white−collar crimes, for example, are not covered − this isn’t an accurate picture of crime;relevance − some SRSs ask about trivial crimes e.g. travelling on public transport without a ticket, this does not really provide researchers with an accurate picture of crime;lack of reliability − responses to statements may depend upon the social characteristics of the researcher if completed via an interview, meaning the data could be unreliable and inaccurate in terms of the picture of crime presented;victim surveys − asking the victims of crime what crimes they have been victims of is likely to be more valid than asking the offenders as there is less incentive to lie/mislead;official crime statistics − as these are carried out by trained, formal and trustworthy agencies these should be the most accurate picture of crime;combination − methodological pluralism − no one method provides ‘the most accurate’ picture of crime, it depends on what crimes you are investigating and what you want to find out about − perhaps combining measurements will provide the most accurate measurement;any other reasonable response. Band 0 [0 marks] No creditworthy response. Band 1 [1−4 marks] Answers in this band may be vague and largely based on common sense showing limited knowledge of the debate. Use of sociological terms or concepts is very unlikely. Responses may be short, undeveloped and one−sided. Lower in the band (1–2 marks), expect one or two weak points. Higher in the band (3–4 marks) candidates may offer more than two points and provide a weak definition of key terms in the question. Band 2 [5−8 marks] In this band candidates will show some basic knowledge of the debate. Alternatively, they may offer an answer which is list−like in nature but there will be no real attempt to assess the issues raised by the question. There may be limited/some use of sociological terms or concepts. Responses may be underdeveloped and lack range. Answers may be simplistic and two−sided or only cover one side of the debate. Lower in the band, the response may be rather narrow in the points covered and there may be some development. Higher in the band, more points are likely to be covered with some development. Alternatively, a list−like answer with some development covering both sides of the argument may score up to 8 marks. A one−sided answer cannot score higher than 8 marks. Band 3 [9−12 marks] Answers in this band will show good sociological knowledge and understanding of the debate. Sociological terms and concepts will be used with greater accuracy and/or frequency. For the most part, answers will be well−developed, focused on the questions and there will be a range of points presented. There will be a two−sided response but it may lack range on one side. At the bottom of the band, candidates may provide a narrower range of developed points. At the top of the band, expect a wider range of developed points and clear focus on the question. Band 4 [13−15 marks] Answers in this band will show excellent knowledge and understanding of the debate. There will be a strong grasp of the arguments as well as accurate and frequent use of sociological terms and concepts. Answers will be well−developed, clearly focused on the question and discuss a wide range of points. Responses will be two−sided and have a range of points on each side. At the bottom of the band (13 marks), the answer may lack a specific conclusion. Higher in the band, there will be a clear attempt to offer an assessment of the ‘To what extent.?’ part of the question through a focused conclusion.
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