Statistical information enhances our understanding of crime. Statistics are facts and figures that are collected and recorded. There are different types of statistics, for example, official statistics and research statistics. Official statistics are Information collected by the courts and by police, while research statistics are information collected by crime and victim surveys. Although statistics are seen to enhance our understanding of crime there are many limitations that come with them. The main problem to arise when considering statistics is when people are question how real they are. Muncie & McLaughlin, 2001 stated that “Although most academic analysts, the media, politicians and the public rely on official statistics as ‘hard facts’, the first and more paramount ‘fact’ is that they are both partial and subjectively constructed” (Muncie & McLaughlin, 2001: 25). This suggests that statistics are more fiction than fact in some areas, and are in fact constructed to give people a false common understanding.
For a crime to become an official statistic it has to go through the ‘3 R process’. The 3R process makes sure that a crime is recognised, reported, and recorded. To be recognised the act must be identified as a crime by a victim and/or a witness, next it must be reported to the police for them to then record the crime. The crime then become an ‘official statistic’. May 1997 thought that "we end up not with 'facts' about crime, but the result of a series of decisions and practices which do not produce either valid or reliable outcomes" (May 1997: 71). This helps us to see that statistics are not ‘facts’ about crime, but are actually the end result of a social process. The media uses figures to create newsworthy headlines and stories such as 'Violent crime increases by 14 per cent' (Daily Mail, 22/01/2004). When people see this in a newspaper they aren’t seeing the full picture, just a perceived view that violent crime is getting worse. Herbert Bulmer argued that interactionism is based on three central views. One of which is that human behaviour is not determined by social forces but rather that people are self conscious beings who choose what to do on the basis of how they see things.
Someone sees a statistic, believes it and uses the statistic to shape their own common sense understanding if crime, therefore their understanding is limited. Official criminal statistics do not account for all the crime committed in the UK, only for that which is recognised by the victims and the police. It is argued that there is a ‘Dark figure of unrecorded crime’, and it is said crime often goes unnoticed, ignored, unreported and unrecorded.
Theoretical information also enhances our understanding of crime. Theory provides arguments and explanations within a justified framework; in order understand the study of crime we need to trace the origins and developments of criminological theory through history. A theory is an idea accounting for or justifying something. There are theories for each different explanation of crime; the Sub cultural theory provides a common sense understanding of crime. Albert Cohen 1955 studied delinquent Boys. Cohen found that lower class boys strove to emulate middle class values and aspirations. However they lacked the means to attain success leading to status frustration which is a sense of personal failure. One result of this was that they rejected those values that they could not be successful with and in attempt to gain status they inverted traditional middle class values mainly within schools creating delinquent boys. Such behaviour builds deviant sub cultures because they don’t fit in and therefore start their own group of criminal activity. This shows one of the reasons why people commit crime, therefore giving us a sense of common understanding. Left realism is a perspective that focuses on the reality of crime. According to Jock Young (1977) people commit more crime because of relative deprivation. Young argued that people may commit more crime when they see themselves as deprived in comparison to other people. Many people live on the edge of society and outside of the mainstream with little stake in society. For example the lower class see something they can’t achieve so find other ways to get it. Therefore people adopt the utilitarianism belief of rational choice theory. Otherwise known as Cost benefit analysis in this theory, people use they use their common sense and reasoning to weigh up means verses ends, costs and benefits, and make a rational choice. Evidence for the working class being deprived compare to the middle class comes from Sociology Central ‘The working class youth are more likely to be in low paid, or low skilled work (or unemployed). Criminal behaviour may be used as a source of excitement as well as money.’ This shows that the working class commit crime to become more like the middle class in terms of possessions. People’s common sense understanding is therefore true to what is happening in the real world to do with crime. Crime is an act which breaks the criminal law of society and theories such as those listed above gives reason why.
This essay has shown that common sense understanding of crime has limitations by examining at how statistical and theoretical information affects our understanding. Both the media and statistics play and important play an important role but portray a limited and controlled view on crime resulting in a false understanding. Theory and criminological perspectives on the other hand give people a clearer and more honest picture as to why crime is happening from day to day. This helps common sense understanding to become less limited as it leaves room for us to question and make our own choices and shape our own common sense understanding of crime. But it has less of an influence as the information found within these sources is not publicised due to lacking the required newsworthiness.
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Reference
Becker, H. (1963) Outsiders: Studies In The Sociology Of Deviance, New York: Free Press
Bulmer, H (1969) Interactionism: exposition and critique, 3rd edn, Rowman Altamira
Berger, P. Sociology Central, Explainations for patterns of crime: Age [online] Available at: [last accessed on 22/04/09]
Cohen, A. (1955) Delinquent Boys: The Culture of the gang, Glencoe, IL: Free Press.
Cohen, S. (1973). Folk devils and moral panics. Oxford: Martin Robertson.
Daily Mail (22.01.2004) Violent crime increases by 14 per cent. Available at:
Elster, J. (1986). Rational Choice. New York: University Press
Home office (2008) Crime in England and Wales, Which crimes are included: July 2008, London: Home office
Oliver, M. (25.01.2007) Robbery continues to rise, crime figures show. Guardian Unlimited. Available at: www.guardian.co.uk/crime/article/0,,1998421,00.html
Young, J. (1997) ‘Left Realism Criminology : Radical in it’s analysis, realist in it’s policy’ in Maguire, R. Morgan and R. Reiner (eds) The oxford handbook of criminology, 2nd edn, Oxford: Clarendon Press.
