CC102 Lecture Notes - Lecture 6: General Social Survey, Shoplifting
Document Summary
Experimentalobservations: policereports, victimizationsurveys, self-reportsurveys direct observation, notnecessarilythemostefficientwaytostudycrime, criminaleventsoccurwithrelativeinfrequency, criminalsspendalotoftheirtimedoingthesamethingsandnon-criminals. The secret lives of criminals: criminalbehaviourtendstobesecretiveinnature, criminalsgooutoftheirwaytoavoidobservationordetection, however,ifconductedsuccessfully,ethnographicresearchersmaylearnin- depth information about criminal subcultures that are not usually amenable to investigation. Experimental observations: issuesof "informedconsent""(ifyoutellthesubjectswhatyou"regoingto do, they may refuse, or alter their behaviour), ifyouencouragesubjectstobreakthelaw,youmaybebreakingthelaw yourself. Situation can be dealt with through a warning, confiscation of illicit goods. There is a close relationship between victim and perpetrator (e. g. siblings, friends: policemorelikelytowriteanofficialif. Victim is of higher social status; deferential toward police. Police are engaged in anti-crime campaign, or order maintenance crackdown. The dark figure of crime: darkfigureofcrime=amountofcrimethatisnotreportedtothepolice, and thus not reflected in the uniform crime report, accordingtothegeneralsocialsurvey(avictimizationsurveyconducted by. Statistics canada), two-thirds of crimes are not reported to the police: suggeststhatdatacollectedbytheucrare "erroneousandincomplete"" the. Central city phenomenon: crimeratedreportedincitycentresmaynotaccuratelyreflectthenumber of criminally-minded people who actually live there, censusmetropolitanareasorcma"softenhaveanumberofsuburbsthat are contiguous to or connected with the city itself, peoplefromsuburbs,traveltocitycentreinsearchofexcitement, entertainment , or the opportunity to commit crimes.
