LAWS1110 Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: Victimisation, General Social Survey, True Crime
Document Summary
Crime as behaviour but also as interpretation of and reaction to that behaviour by others. When measuring this interpretation/reaction, there are many stages that can influence what is counted by official crime statistics. Police in judging that a crime has been committed. Police can choose whether or not to report the crime. Police deciding to charge a person with an offence. Police can decide whether or not to charge the alleged person. Alleged offender deciding to plead guilty in court. Offender decides how they want to plead in court. Appeal court in upholding or denying an appeal. There is no absolute way to measure them; no consistent way. Crime statistics are so flawed that they are simply "damned lies". Crime statistics can be taken at "face value" (uncritical acceptance). The adequacy or reliability of the statistics will depend critically on the way they are interpreted and used. Providing a "road map" for interpreting crime statistics.
