Statistics have shown us that you are more likely to become a victim if you live in urban areas then rural areas. The British Crime Survey (BCS) 2002/03 found that you had a higher risk of 5% of becoming a victim of burglary compared to a 3% chance if you were from a rural area and this was very similar to the chance of becoming a victim of vehicle related theft. (Criminal justice reference needed). You would think that this was due to there being more material possessions available within these areas, as those that live near or within cities or towns tend to have a higher chance of employment within these areas cutting back on certain financial costs and having certain possessions easily accessible to them, but Walker et al (2006) used the BSC those areas that had the highest rates of domestic burglary were in fact those areas which were the most financially deprived, showing that not only does geographical area come into it but there is also a pattern linked to social status. (Newburn, 2007). This is due to the reality that many offenders commit crimes within a certain geographical area from their own homes, as shown by Soothill, Francis and Flgelstone (2002) who found the typical offender for domestic burglary were males, aged 16-20 and from a rural background (Newburn,2007).
Geographical area can also include more than just the area you live in, the type of household and living arrangements can also being included, which again shows a pattern between geographical area and social status as the BSC (2005/06) found that those households at an increased risk of burglary was those that had no home security measures at 19.4%, those that were in an area that had a high perception of physical disorder at 5.3%, and those that were occupied by a single adult with children at 5.1%. This correlates to those from a low social class status as members of the lower class would not be able to afford or see the need for household security, would come from areas that are seen as physical deprived. This again can show a relationship between the victim and the offender as lower class adults and juveniles commit more crimes and offences than those of middle or higher classes (Braithwaite, 1979).
Geographical area can also be linked to the way someone behaves and their lifestyle. Those that live in the more rural, inner city areas are those that are more likely to be out in public during the late evening and night hours. These areas are highly populated with the younger generations including students, who are at a high risk of becoming victims. This is mainly down to the high number of technical possessions students and young people possess, such as laptops, mobile phones and IPods. Research conducted by Harrington and Mayhew (2002) showed that a rise in phone robberies was greater than any other street robbery, with street robbery being one of the most violent forms of personal theft.
The majority of those that fall victims to street robbery are males at 76% with 45% of those aged 20 or under, and those that commit these crimes are also male making up 96% of suspects with approximately 50% being under 20 years old (Smith, 2003). This again shows a common link between offenders and victims, and Smith (2003) found that since 1993 the age of victims has been getting lower, down to as young as 11 years old and that the age of the offender has also correlated to this. This again is linked to lifestyle and social status as those from a lower class background would be those that are populating the streets at night, due to not having much to occupy them at home or wanting to be with their peers. Being with their peers can also contribute towards someone being more inclined to commit a street or personal robbery as 62% of all recorded robberies consisted of two or more suspects, and these seemed to pray on younger male victims compared to them committing the crime their self.
Violent crime can be linked to many other categories of crime, including domestic burglary and street robbery. Violence within a crime can come within many different forms with the typical offender of any form of these are males aged 16-25 (Williams, 2008), there can be the violence that is conducted to stun or control the victim in order to take the possessions from them such as grabbing the victim and keeping hold of them with 25% of cases being male victims and 25% being female victims; there can be the form of violence that is in the manner of demanding possessions from a victim which is generally included with verbal threats and physical force with 41% of victims being male and 25% being female; and there is also the form where the possession is taken or snatched from the victim and the only form of violent force used is the initial contact of taking the possession were 6% of victims are male and 37% of victims are female. This form of violent crime does show a rare gender difference in the form of victimization as, as the males increase with age the rate of them becoming a victim to this form of crime decreases, but with females as their age increases so does their rate of being victimized (Walklate, 2005).
Age and gender has been a very common factor towards victims and their offenders, with the majority of victims and offenders being young males aged 16-25. This essay has already shown that males are more likely to become victims of public and street violence with 5.3% of males reporting the to the BSC (2002/03) compared to 2.9% of women (Criminal Justice), females on the other hand are more likely to become victims within their own home, either through domestic burglary or through violent attacks such as sexual assaults or domestic violence. Painter and Farrington (1998) conducted a survey on 1000 women and found that 24% of married and 59% of divorced or separated women had been hit at least once by their spouse but had not reported it (criminal Justice), although these crimes are not reported for a number of personal reasons, if crimes like these were reported, alongside those of rape and sexual abuse then the statistics may show more of an even ground between male and female victims.
The Crime and Justice Survey (2003) found that 25% of males aged 14-17 years old had been classed as serious or prolific offenders within the last year compared to 13% of females at the same age. In comparison to young males having a higher risk of becoming a victim of an violent offence, young males are also more prone to becoming offenders of violent crimes, such as assault and street robbery with 16.2% males committing a form of violent crime compared to 7.2% of females (C&JS, 2003). As previously stated females are more inclined to become victims of domestic burglary or in-house assaults, these crimes are not related to a typical female offender, who is more likely commit versatile offending and victimless crimes, such as drug-taking, petty theft from shops, schools or work.
While anyone can become a affected by crime by either becoming a victim or an offender, certain risks and factors are stretched differently within society and this essay has shown that although there are many different factors which can contribute, many of these factors are interlinked with each other. Geographical location is strongly linked to socio-economic status which is also linked to someone’s lifestyle and their interaction within society, how someone interacts within society is also strongly linked to their age and gender. The risk of our geographical area has shown that those areas that are populated by young, single professionals or those consisting of single parents and unemployed members of society are at a higher risk of many different forms of crimes. Much to the public’s belief, which is largely influenced by the media portraying the crimes that would shock society the most such as young males violently assaulting an elderly women or a young female attacked and assaulted by a family member, of the most vulnerable and victimized members of society being females or the elderly, this essay has shown that in fact those most at risk are young males, which has shown that although young males are more associated with committing crimes, they are also their own main victims. The statistics for female victims and offenders do correlate with each other in the relationship that they are both low in numbers but this could be down to many females not wanting to report their crimes or criminal justice agencies being too soft on them and not arresting and charging them as much as they do to males. As it stands this essay has concluded that the typical offender of the crimes it has discussed is a young male aged 16-25 years old and from a low socio-economical background and a typical victim of these crimes is the same. Therefore more crime prevention manners could be put into place in order to reduce the risks and factors involved in becoming the typical victim and offender, or maybe more means need to go into measuring crime accurately as there seems to be a low representation of female victims and offenders.
Bibliography
Budd, T. &. (2003). Offending in England and Wales: First Results From the 2003 Crime and Justice Survey (Home Office Research Study No. 244). London: Home Office.
Jones, S. (2006). Criminology. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Newburn, T. (2007). Criminology. Devon: Willan Publishing.
Soothill, K. F. (2002). Patterns of Offending Behaviour: A New Approach. RDS Findings 171. Home Office Research, Development and Statistics Directorate Findings.
Walklate, S. (2005). The Basics; Criminology. Oxon: Routledge.
Williams, K. (2008). Textbook on Criminology. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
