Start?

1. Start? • Examine the usefulness of using official statistics in studying crime and deviance. (21 marks) • What ideas do we know already? Consider functionalist, interactionist and marxist views?

2. Key questions Do crime statistics give a true picture of crime? Are people from different age groups, classes, ethnicities and gender groups treated equally when it comes to crime? Is there any link between location and criminal activity? Key information • Crime statistics – police, BCS and self-report study. • Gender and crime • Ethnicity and crime • Age and social class • Location – Environmental criminology 2. The social distribution of crime

3. Dark Figure of Crime Detected, reported and recorded crime Many criminologists suggest there is a ‘dark figure of crime’ which is all the offences that are unreported or not recorded in the official statistics Why Crimes that occur and may not be detected, reported or recorded by official figures

4. Activity: Why is there a ‘dark figure of crime’? Reasons why crime is not reported Reasons why crime is not recorded Not enough time Crime too trivial Not a priority Victim withdraws charge Lack of evidence Police Recording Rules • There is no victim (speeding) • Victim too afraid • Can’t be bothered • No trust of police • Perpetrator is friend or family member

5. Police Recording Rules How official statistics are compiled depends on what the police record as a crime. These rules have changed x3 in the last 10 years. Depends on Government and Police Force priorities. Official statistics only give a limited picture of the amount of crime in society.

6. British Crime Survey

7. Lack of crime reporting • Crimes may not be reported due to:- • fear of reprisal. • Lack of awareness (fraud). • Fear it may not be taken seriously. • Crime is too trivial. Official statistics Complied from government departments like the police and courts. Recorded crime A crime, which has been recorded by the police as a crime. (Only 40% of reported crime is then recorded due to discretionary powers of the police). Reported crime A crime, which the public has reported to the police. (90% of all crime the police deal with is reported to them by the public). Crime statistics • Inaccurate picture of crime • White collar crime dealt with administratively. • Only serious crimes from incidences is recorded. • Rules for counting always change. • Lack of recording makes clear up rates look higher. Official crime statistics are the tip of the iceberg, BCS and self-report studies show there is more crime than what can be seen on the surface. This is known as the dark figure of crime (what is recorded vs. reported).

8. British Crime Survey A victim study which asks people if they have been a victim of a crime and the circumstances of that crime. It was conducted every two years from 1982 -2000 then every year since. The study is based on a representative sample of adults living in private households in England and Wales. In 2002 over 36,000 surveys were conducted. Certain crimes are excluded due to low reporting such as murder, drug possession or dealing, fraud, offences against businesses. Self-report studies Anonymous questionnaires which ask respondents if they have committed a crime over the past year. They are usually based on self-completed questionnaires or interviews which contain a list of offences. Respondents are asked to highlight which they have committed. Self report studies show us that most people commit crime at some point in their lives so crime is normal. • Trends and patterns • BCS says 10.7 million crimes committed, OS (4.7 million. • The majority of crime is property related. • Violent crime accounts for 1/5 of all crime • Overall crime peaked in 1995 and has declined ever since. • Men aged 16-24 most likely to be a victim of violence. BCS and Self-report studies BCS: includes unreported and unrecorded crime but only 75% is comparable with police statistics. Self-report: Mainly street crime (working class) excludes hidden crimes like domestic violence. Only gives a small picture of criminal activity.

9. Victim Surveys British Crime Survey – carried out every 2 years and asks people whether they have been a victim of crime. Pre-set structured interviews.  Large sample (2007 – 47,000) BCS report higher levels of crime. • Also collects data on ‘fear of crime’ Is this valid? reliable?

10. BCS Vs Official Statistics.

11. OCJS – self report Offending, Crime and Justice Survey (OCJS) interviewed young people aged 10 - 25. Responses taken confidentially on a computer to increase validity. Random selection, longitudinal study of around 5,000 people. 2006 – study revealed much offending was linked to alcohol. Is this valid? Reliable?

12. Self Report Problems of self-report measures. • Unreliable answers. (people exaggerate) • Biased selection of offences. (ignore middle class crimes) • Biased selection of interviewees. (No access to white collar criminals)

13. Self-Report Studies • Offender self-report surveys ask people about their offending behaviour. • Questionnaire where people identify any offences they have participated in. • Offending, Crime and Justice Survey (OCJS) interviewed young people aged 10 - 25. Responses taken confidentially on a computer to increase validity. Random selection, longitudinal study of around 5,000 people.

14. Examine the usefulness of using official statistics in studying crime and deviance. (21 marks)

15. Offenders found guilty of or cautioned for an offence by sex and type. 2006

16. Explanations for Patterns of Crime: Gender

17. Watch the video: Jot down the key ideas http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zucIocuW4eo

18. Gender Key Facts from official stats. • Girls and women appear to commit less crime. • 4/5 convicted offenders in Britain are male. • Women more likely to be convicted of theft and property offences. • Men more likely to convicted of violence and sexual offences. Post – it Challenge. Use post-its to suggest theories and or questions about the facts opposite. Do women commit fewer crimes? How valid are the statistics? How do we explain why some women do commit crimes. How do we explain why men commit more crimes than women?

19. Gender Key Facts from official stats. • Girls and women appear to commit less crime. • 4/5 convicted offenders in Britain are male. • Women more likely to be convicted of theft and property offences. • Men more likely to convicted of violence and sexual offences. Post – it Challenge. Use post-its to suggest theories and or questions about the facts opposite.

20. Do women commit more crime? • Many sociologists and criminologists believe that female crime might be underestimated. • Female crimes like shoplifting are less likely to be reported. 2. Even when women’s crimes are detected/reported, they are much less likely to be prosecuted or receive a lenient punishment.

21. Official statistics indicate that women in all age groups appear to commit far less crime than men. This pattern has raised three main questions: 1 Do women really commit fewer crimes than men, or are the figures misleading? 2 Is the proportion of crimes committed by women increasing, and is this linked to 'women's liberation'? 3 Why do some women break the law? DA Booth

22. Key facts • Girls and women appear to commit less crime. • 4/5 convicted offenders in Britain are male. • Women more likely to be convicted of theft and property offences. • Men more likely to convicted of violence and sexual offences. The Chivalry thesis This argues that most police, judges and magistrates are men and men are socialised to be chivalrous to women. Roger Hood found women are 1/3 less likely to be jailed than men in similar cases. Feminism They argue the criminal justice system is patriarchal and is bias against women when they step outside gender roles. Women are judged more harshly for having promiscuous sex and being bad mothers rather than the seriousness of their crimes. This is what happens in rape cases where the victims sexual activity is always on trial. Gender and crime Liberation thesis Freda Alder (1975) argues that if feminists are right and women only commit less crime because of patriarchy then greater equality should see a rise in women offenders. This equality will bring about more female offenders for violence and white collar crime. Explanations for female criminality Feminist - Control theory Women commit less crimes because men control women through domestic roles, fear of being a victim and financial dependence. Functionalist -Sex role theory The way girls are socialised to be quiet and demur doesn’t encourage them to behave aggressively or break the law.

23. Nadja Benaissa

24. Do you remember this case? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UkqA47iFsLs

25. Chivalry Thesis. What is Chivalry?

26. The treatment of women in the CJS • Leniency towards female offenders is known as the 'chivalry’ thesis. • Some sociologists argue that women are more likely to be cautioned than charged, and more likely to receive non-custodial sentences. • However, some critics disagree. Although men received more severe sentences than women in many cases, the differences disappeared when the severity of offences was taken into account.

27. Task: Read your text book • Using the scale, plot the different studies/points/debates at the side of the scale you think it fits. • People to pay close attention to: • Pollak; Farrington; Box; Walklate; Adler; Carlen; Flood-Page

28. Chivalry Thesis For: Against Farrington & Morris (1983) women not given more lenient sentences for comparable offences. Buckle & Farrington (1984) female shoplifters more likely to be prosecuted. Box (1981) women who commit serious offences are not treated more favourably. Women more likely to show remorse which may explain different sentences. Graham and Bowling (1995) Self Report studies Flood-Page et al (2000) women more likely to be cautioned. Hood (1992) women 1/3 less likely to be imprisoned.

29. Leniency towards female offenders: the 'chivalry’ thesis • Campbell (1981) conducted a self‑report study and found that: • 1 Female suspects were more likely than male suspects to be cautioned rather than prosecuted. • 2 The rate of male: female juvenile offending was 1.33: 1.0 rather than the official figure of 8.95: 1.0. • Hood (1989) compared the sentencing of men and women and found that men were more likely to be given custodial sentences than women. DA Booth

30. Evidence against the 'chivalry' thesis • Box (1981) reviewed the data from self‑report studies in Britain and the USA and concluded that the official statistics on gender and crime were fairly accurate. • Farrington and Morris (1983) conducted a study of sentencing in magistrates' courts. Although men received more severe sentences than women, the differences disappeared when the severity of offences was taken into account. DA Booth

31. Walklate (1995) believes that it is the female victim rather than the male suspect who ends up on trial in rape cases. Women have to establish their respectability if their evidence is to be believed. • In a study of domestic violence Dobash and Dobash (1979) found that police officers were very unlikely to make an arrest in cases of domestic violence. DA Booth

32. Double standards in criminal justice • Heidensohn (1985) argues that the justice system is influenced by attitudes to gender in society as a whole. Women are treated more harshly when they deviate from norms of female sexuality. Sexually promiscuous girls are more likely to be taken into care than similar boys. On the other hand, courts may be reluctant to imprison mothers with young children. • Carlen (1997) argues that women are more likely to be sentenced according to the court's assessment of them as wives, mothers and daughters rather than the seriousness of their crimes. DA Booth

33. No Chivalry – Bias Against Women The courts treat females more harshly when they deviate from gender norms. Carlen (1977) Women are jailed according to the courts assessment of them as wives, mothers and daughters. • Feminists suggest the CJS is Patriarchal. • Evidence from the way male judges deal with Rape victims. • Victims are often on trial not the offender and subject to sexist victim blaming. Activity: How might Patriarchy explain the chivalry hypothesis and the idea of bias against women.

34. No Chivalry – Bias Against Women The courts treat females more harshly when they deviate from gender norms. Carlen (1977) Women are jailed according to the courts assessment of them as wives, mothers and daughters. • Feminists suggest the CJS is Patriarchal. • Evidence from the way male judges deal with Rape victims. • Victims are often on trial not the offender and subject to sexist victim blaming.

35. Female Criminals – Did their gender influence their sentence?

37. Women demonised in the media Myra Hindley Sentenced to 30 years in prison for her part in the murder and torture of 5 children along with Ian Brady. The media widely reported her true crime as not having any motherly instincts as a women. Newspapers still to this day publish a sinister picture taken of her 30 years ago because it portrays her as a cold sadistic killer. Maxine Carr Was convicted and sent to prison for providing a false alibi for boyfriend Ian Huntley who murdered Holly wells and Jessica Chapman in 2002. Maxine had nothing directly to do with the murders but many protested for reintroduction of the death penalty outside the court. The media had a definitive role in demonising Maxine Carr by producing sensationalist stories of her past. Gender and crime Why do men commit crime? James Messerschmidt (1993) makes a link between male offending and masculinity. He says all men want the dominant hegemonic masculinity which is achieved through domination of work, women and sexuality. He argues that lower class men and ethnic minorities lack the resources to achieve this masculinity so commit crime in order to achieve it. Postmodernity and masculinity Others have suggested that previously jobs in manufacturing allowed men to express their masculinity. An increase in service sector jobs like bouncers allows men to express their masculinity through violence, drug dealing and racketeering.

38. Explanations for Patterns of Crime

39. Explaining Female Crime

40. Sex role theory Sutherland (1949) Differences in socialisation: • Girls more supervised, controlled. • Boys are encouraged to be tough and take risks more likely to become delinquent.

41. Sex role theory Parsons (1955) Clearly defined gender role in the modern nuclear family: Male: Instrumental role (breadwinner) Female: Expressive role (carer) Boys reject any behaviour considered feminine and adopt ‘compensatory compulsory masculinity’ - aggressive behaviour which can slip into delinquency.

42. Sex role theory Albert Cohen (1955) • Socialisation is difficult for boys – they experience anxiety about their identity as young men. • One solution is the all-male peer group or street gang (status frustration) • Masculine qualities (toughness etc) are encouraged and rewarded – but may lead to delinquency

43. Evaluation of Sex Role Theory • Early attempt to explain gender differences in crime. • It explains the differences in terms of learned behaviour – not biological differences.  Ultimately based on a biological assumption about sex roles.  fails to consider gender differences in a patriarchal society. Women’s low crime rates due to their subordinate position.

44. Physiological causes of crime • Lombroso (1895) compared the anatomical features of female criminals and non‑criminals. He believed that male criminals could be identified by physical abnormalities such as having an extra toe or nipple. • Few women had these features; therefore they were not 'born criminals'. Moir and Jessel (1997) explain some violent crime as being linked to Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS). Most sociologists, however, focus on social causes of female crime.

45. Feminist Perspectives - CONTROL THEORY Society is patriarchal (male dominated) They believe that behaviour of women can only be understood in the context of male dominance. Patriarchal society imposes greater control over women’s lives which reduces their opportunities to offend. http://sociologysource.squarespace.com/sociologysounds/category/crime-deviance?currentPage=6

46. Heidensohn: Patriarchal Control

47. “Women should avoid dressing like sluts in order not to be victimised“ – Michael Sanguinetti http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/may/06/slutwalking-policeman-talk-clothing

48. Patriarchal Control

49. Evaluation  Heidensohn mixes feminism and control theory to explain how and why women conform to social norms – and their lower crime rate.  But – it presents women as passive. Heidensohn makes generalisations about men and women – and fails to recognise the differences between them (Walklate, 2003)

50. But if I get caught, what will my parents, friends and teachers say? What will they think? If I steal these I’ll have something I’ve always wanted