SOCI-225 Lecture 7: soci225 l7
Document Summary
Validity: do the collected count purport what it claims to account. Ex: many criminologists used criminals in jail to study the difference between criminals and. The system acts as a funnel many crimes may occur but fewer result in police record, and even. Different methodologies for study have developed and validity and reliability are most important. Crime rates: criminologists calculate crime rates by dividing the amount of crime by the population size and multiplying it by 100000. Even though police departments are supposed to follow uniform rules for reporting, they in fact can vary. As reliability increases, validity frequently decreases: while the police may not catch every crime (reliability) their method provides a better idea of crime (validity) than court convictions or prisoner counts fewer result in court sentencing/jail time. System is biased also in the sense that some crimes are more likely to be reported, and some criminals more likely to be charged.
