Essay 1: Perceptions of crime (section B)

Another contributing factor to this exaggeration to the perception of crime, is the unreliability of crime statistics including police recorded statistics. There are two types of crime statistics: the official crime statistics that are collected by the National Police Association, and large-scale social surveys which asks citizens about their experiences and feelings of crime. (Point and explain) One force, England Derbyshire, was found to have not recorded about 30,300 crimes a year, more than a third of the total in its area. (Example) This is because crimes which are hard to prove tend to be omitted, therefore the official crime figures are not able to provide a clear picture of crimes in the grey area, created by police discretion, as low conviction crimes are not recorded because it helps them meet targets. Similarly to the UK, police recorded crime in the USA is a large issue. (Evaluation) In 2018, only 43% of violent crimes were reported to the police along with only 34% of property crime. It is thought that the victims felt the police would not be able to do much. (example) This clearly shows that police recorded crime statistics can be very unreliable, as it undermines the public’s feeling of crime from reality, leading them to believe crime is lower than it is. (Mini conclusion) However, the surveys of crime and victims give a reliable picture of crime rates, far greater than the official figures because it provides an unfiltered quantification. (Topic and explanation) The USA National Crime Victimisation Survey is the nation’s primary source of information on criminal victimisation. (Example) This clearly shows that in the UK and other nations, police recorded crime statistics creates a false feeling of crime as not all crimes are reported to the police, contrary to national surveys with greater transparency. (Evaluation) This shows that alternative methods of crime statistics can be used to make up for the under-recording police shortcomings. For example, looking at the victimisation rate, the SCJS estimates that 494,000 crimes were experienced by adults. Of these an estimated 73% were property crimes. But damage and reckless behaviour accounted for 14% of all crime recorded in Scotland in 2023-24. (Analysis) Overall, the survey of crime statistics provides the public with a reliable picture of crime to a certain significant extent, therefore the perception of crime is not exaggerated from the reality. (Mini conclusion)

A third factor that contributes to the exaggeration is the media. The media has long been accused of creating a distorted reality of crime, because the over reporting of certain crimes creates what are known as moral panics. Due to an obsession to crime, 30% of the media’s coverage relates to crime. (Point and explanation) In relation to crime specifically, Jewkes (2004) suggest these news events have to be considered significant or dramatic enough to be in the news – a single rape may make the local newspaper, but a serial rapist might become a national story, for example, the Yorkshire ripper. (Example) This clearly shows the nature of the media of confirming more the stories to which fit the criteria in entertainment unpredictable and serious, which makes people overly self aware of becoming the next victim. (Analysis) In the USA Gerber found that those who watch tv for more than four hours had aggravated levels of fear of crime. This shows that, even in foreign countries, the media emphasises of certain crimes can result in the public having an amplified and distorted perception of crime, because in the news it always seems more exaggerated than it should be. (Evaluation) This shows that media has a significant impact on perception of crime universally. (Mini conclusion) However, sociologists, McRobbie and Thornton say that moral panics are now so frequent that they have minor impact on the audience. (Point and explanation) For example, the us department of justice states that Spouses or ex-spouses committed over half of all crimes by relatives and about two-thirds of all crimes by relatives against women, instead of the stranger in the dark alleys. (Example) Modern society is thrown with so many different forms of media, people are much more sceptical of media interpretations and less likely to believe everything they hear. As a result, stories have a much shorter shelf life and are unlikely to be newsworthy for long enough to create moral panics. (Analysis) In summary, the way in which the media reports crime often results in the public having an exaggerated perception of crime, which creates moral panics because of the over representation of specific crimes. While there are some doubts about the prevalence of moral panics on society. It is undeniable that the media impacts how people perceive crime. (Mini conclusion)

A last factor that contributes to the exaggeration of crime is the difference between deviances formal and informal. Crime is defined as a violation of the criminal law, while deviance is the violation of a norm in a society. All crimes are deviant, but normal deviance is not criminal. The difference is arguably that those in power decide what is a formal deviant behaviour. (Topic and explanation) For example, the ‘blue collar crime crimes normally committed by the working class, including theft and assault, which are often seen as more serious, than ‘white collar crime’ which are mostly committed by the higher class e.g. money laundering. (Example) This lack of clarity surrounding what is and is not acceptable leaves people vulnerable to having their perceptions of crime manipulated by those in power. (Analysis) However, there is also a disagreement about whether crimes of the working class are out of necessity. This was suggested by Karl Max in his conflict theories which claimed that crime is a result if the competition for limited resources in the world. (Topic and explanation) This can differ internationally. For example, in Thailand, it is illegal to step on the nation’s currency as it has a picture of the king on it. This is a crime in Thailand, while in Britain, while it would often be seen as deviant to disrespect the monarchy in such a manner, it is not against the law. (Example) This shows that crime and deviance can result in a exaggerated perception of crime from reality, nationally or not, as it allows certain people or classes to control people’s perception of crime, and because it leaves what is crime and what is just deviance unclear, it can be seen the opposite pattern of crime statistics between different countries. (Evaluation)

In conclusion, the statement that the perception of crime is exaggerated is highly accurate. As can be seen through victims and crime surveys. The lack of a universal definition of crime meaning that nations perceive crime differently. Unreliable data about crime, as police recorded crime statistics also hugely underestimate offences. Media coverage which creates an unrealistic image of a victim, and makes certain crimes seem more common than they are. This results in irrational fear and moral panics. Finally, crime and deviance exaggerate people’s perception of what crime is acceptable within society and what crime is not. While some of those factors have limitations in terms of how they exaggerate perceptions of crime, ultimately the way we perceive crime is not aligned to the reality of crime, but overall crime and victims survey provides the public with information from victims that have been targeted by crime to provide a clear picture of the state of crime in Britain, besides their data is not under reported.

The perception of crime is highly exaggerated, and there are factors contributing to this exaggeration. Firstly, the lack of a universal definition of crime, which means countries do not agree on what should be considered crime, and if it is crime the extent of the punishment. Secondly, the unreliability of crime statistics, as can be seen through police under recorded crime. Thirdly, media manipulation, and the formation of moral panics. Lastly, the difference between formal deviance, and informal deviance. Overall, all of these factors contribute to the exaggerated perception of crime.