Sociology · May / June 2016 · Paper 23 · Question 3

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Crime rates indicate that crime is a real problem in modern industrial societies. New technologies have led to new types of crime, making it increasingly difficult for sociologists and the Government to accurately measure crime.

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3(a)[2]
What is meant by the term ‘crime rates’? [2]
These are statistical measures of crime. One mark for partial definition, e.g. how much crime there is. Two marks for clear definition, e.g. statistics that show how much and what type of crime is occurring.
3(b)[4]
Describe two ways of measuring crime. [4]
Candidates will describe two ways of measuring crime. Possible answers:
Official crime statistics – official figures of the number of crimes and offenders;
Self-report studies – a survey that asks people what crimes or deviant acts they have committed;
Victim survey – research that asks people what crimes they have been victims of;
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 modern industrial societies deter people from committing crime. [6]
Candidates need to demonstrate an understanding of how people today are deterred from committing crime. Candidates are likely to refer to agents of socialisation and social control in their responses. Alternatively, they may refer to processes in a more generic way. Either is acceptable to credit. DETERRENCE – when a punishment is intended to stop the offender and others in society from committing a crime. Possible answers:
Agencies of socialisation i.e. the family socialise children to know right from wrong and to understand the consequences of committing crime – they deter them;
Informal social control – informal measures from, say, education, the peer group and the media help to ensure that people conform to society’s laws and values and deter them from committing crime;
Formal social control – by threatening punishment these agencies try to ensure that people conform and do not break the law;
Prison – loss of freedom, harsh conditions and severe sentencing (often highlighted in the media) deters people from committing crime;
Court sentencing – publishing severe sentences and the consequences of crime i.e. through the media, can deter others from committing crime;
Police – their physical presence on the streets is often seen a s a deterrent to crime, a visual reminder that you will be caught if you commit crime;
Armed forces – these can be used as a deterrent, often through the implied threat of physical violence/weaponry;
Government/laws – they can ensure that the law making process puts people off from committing crime i.e. through zero tolerance policies;
Death sentence – thought by many to be the ultimate deterrent to crime;
Community sentencing – the public nature of this punishment deters many from committing crime due to the perceived humiliation i.e. the ‘uniform’ worn;
Media – today the media are typically the medium to disseminate the deterrence message so their exaggerated and distorted reporting styles are crucial;
Surveillance – increased security measures i.e. CCTV in public places discourages people from committing crime;
Other reasonable response. Band 0 No creditworthy response. Band 1 (1–3) Answers in this band will show only a limited awareness of how modern industrial societies deter people from committing crime. Responses may be short and un/under developed. Candidates may be confused as to what is meant by ‘deter’. 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, e.g. ‘we scare people so they don’t commit crimes’. Band 2 (4–6) A clear and accurate explanation showing good sociological knowledge and understanding of how modern industrial societies deter people from committing crime. Sociological terms and concepts should be expected. For example, ‘Prisons are portrayed in the media as harsh and violent institutions sending out the message to society that these are not nice places to be. Similarly, a police presence on the streets deters people from committing crime through their surveillance and the threat of being caught and punished’. 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 factor in a well-developed way or cover several factors in less detail.
3(d)[8]
Explain why crimes related to new technologies are hard to detect and prevent? [8]
Candidates need to identify what is meant by the term ‘new technologies’ and be clear why these crimes are hard to detect and prevent. Terms such as ‘cybercrime’ and ‘internet crime’ are likely to be used in candidates’ responses. Possible answers:
Crimes using new technologies are difficult to detect and prevent because they are not regulated by national boundaries. The offender and the victims of these global crimes may live in different countries. Countries do not all have the same laws and so may not cooperate – globalisation;
Some countries try to censor internet content, particularly political viewpoints making certain things illegal, whereas others see this as going against the right for freedom of speech. There is no agreed global definition of what is criminal therefore;
Crimes using new technologies are not ‘physical’ crimes therefore there is often a long delay before anyone realises they have been a victim of such a crime, if they ever do realise at all. This makes these kind of crimes hard to police;
No person is actually seen as the criminal when a crime using new technologies is committed, meaning it is difficult to ascertain blame. This is particularly true if the crime has been committed by a group or an organisation rather than an individual, typical of cybercrimes;
There is no central coordination or regulation of the internet meaning Governments have limited powers of control.
Material can be posted on the internet and go viral almost immediately, making it harder to stop and control;
Some crimes using new technologies, such as illegally downloading music for example, are not perceived as criminal as so many people do them. This means they are unlikely to be reported or investigated or prosecuted;
There is a technological gap between young people and adults (the digital divide) that means that those investigating and prosecuting the criminals (typically the adults) are less technologically aware than the ‘criminals’;
Crime using new technology tends to be self-censored therefore is hugely under- reported;
Growth in cyberterrorism – deliberate, widespread attacks in computers or computer networks. These can be carried out by highly organised organisations and, sometimes, Governments meaning investigation and prosecution is both difficult and unlikely;
Other reasonable response. Band 0 No creditworthy response. Band 1 (1–3) Answers in this band will show only a limited awareness of why crimes using new technologies are hard to detect and prevent. Candidates may not fully understand what is meant by ‘new technologies’. Responses may be short and undeveloped. e.g. ‘Crime is easy on the internet’. 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) Answers in this band will show basic sociological knowledge and understanding of why crimes using new technologies are hard to detect and prevent. Candidates may say that for e.g. ‘It is quick and easy to spread illegal content on the internet meaning that crime is hard to prevent’. Responses may be 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. Candidates may only focus on either detection or prevention, not both aspects. Band 3 (7–8) Answers in this band will show good sociological knowledge and understanding of why crimes using new technologies are hard to detect and prevent and will be well developed and explained. Candidates will discuss both detection and prevention. Sociological terms and concepts will be used accurately, overall. Answers will be well focused on the question and there will be a range of reasons presented. At the top of the band explanations will be clear throughout.
3(e)[15]
To what extent do self-report studies produce an accurate picture of crime? [15]
Candidates need to show an understanding of whether self-report studies produce an accurate picture of crime. In terms of evaluation, candidates may approach this is different but equally valid ways that should be credited. Some may discuss the advantages and disadvantages of self-report studies only. Others may refer to alternative ways of finding an accurate picture of crime in their evaluation i.e. victim surveys/official crime statistics. SELF REPORT STUDY – research that asks people what crimes they have committed. Possible answers: For
They are confidential meaning that respondents may be more willing to give honest answers about their criminal behaviour;
Crimes that have not been reported to/recorded by the police may be revealed through self report studies if confidentiality is assured;
Self report studies reveal more of the dark figure of crime that is hidden by the crime statistics as they can uncover crimes that have not been reported to or recorded by the police;
Self report studies reveal that a large number of crimes are committed by women and middle class people which questions the picture shown in the official statistics that suggests the working class and males are the main perpetrators;
Theories and explanations of crime based on the information in the official statistics may therefore be flawed and inaccurate;
Other reasonable response. Against
How truthful is the information gathered by self report studies? Respondents may lie about crimes they have committed or exaggerate their criminality. Validity of the data collected cannot be checked;
Self report studies often ask about petty crimes and acts of deviance rather than the full range of crimes. This means the picture gathered from the studies may not be representative of all crimes committed;
Self report studies are often filled out by young people and so again the sample’s representativeness can be questioned. White-collar crimes, for example, are ignored;
Victim surveys may be more useful than self report studies in finding out the true picture of crime as people are more likely to report crimes they have been the victim of than crimes they have committed themselves;
Official crime statistics offer a large scale national picture of crime rather than the small sample size that self report studies focus on – a more generalisable picture;
Crime statistics are updated regularly and are therefore potentially more useful than a self report study that could have been completed years earlier;
Crime statistics are thought to be reliable and/or trustworthy as they are collected and published by the Government;
Other reasonable response. Band 0 No creditworthy response. Band 1 (1–4) Answers in this band may be vague and largely based on common sense showing limited knowledge of whether self-report studies produce an accurate picture of crime. Use of sociological terms or concepts is very unlikely. Responses may be short, undeveloped and one-sided. e.g. ‘self report studies ask people what crimes they’ve committed so they tell the researcher’. 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 or provide a weak definition of key terms, e.g. a self-report asks people what crimes they have committed, in the question. Band 2 (5–8) In this band candidates will show some basic knowledge of whether self-report studies produce an accurate picture of crime. 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 use of sociological terms or concepts. Candidates may discuss some reasons why self-report studies produce an accurate picture of crime i.e. reveal more of the dark figure of crime etc. but responses may be underdeveloped and lack range. Answers may be simplistic and two-sided responses are unlikely. Lower in the band, the response will be rather narrow in the points covered and there will be little development. Higher in the band, more points will be covered and there will be limited development of some points. Alternatively, a list-like answer with little 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) Answers in this band will show good sociological knowledge and understanding of whether self-report studies produce an accurate picture of crime. 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 question and there will be a range of points presented. Candidates may be able to present a range of points to support the idea that self-report studies produce an accurate picture of crime, but also be aware of some of the weaknesses i.e. lack of representativeness, respondents may underplay or exaggerate their criminality reducing in validity issues etc. There will be a two-sided response but this may be unbalanced. At the bottom of the band, candidates may provide a narrower range of well- developed points. At the top of the band, expect a wider range of points and clear focus on the question. Band 4 (13–15) Answers in this band will show excellent knowledge and understanding of whether self-report studies produce an accurate picture of crime. There will be a strong grasp of the argument 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. For example, candidates may say that as well as agreeing that self-report studies are useful in helping to reveal a more accurate picture of crime, there are also other ways of doing this i.e. using victim surveys which may be higher in validity etc. Responses will be two-sided and balanced. 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. Candidates should show consideration of points for and against the idea of whether self-report studies produce an accurate picture of crime, citing some of the examples given. Section D: Media

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