Why might the figures for recorded crime underestimate the actual amount of crime that takes place?
Crime can be defined as an act prohibited and punished by law. It can further be divided into three main groups; Conventional or Ordinary, Occupational, or Organisational (Marshall Baron Clinard, 1980, Page x).
Conventional crimes include property related damage, theft, assault and murder. Occupational crimes are usually committed by individual business persons such as Lawyers, Plumbers and Supervisors. Finally, Organisational crimes which involve large groups or corporations breaking the law to achieve various goals. All of these crimes have an impact on society. The government reviews accumulated figures and acts appropriately, therefore the figures studied should be as accurate as possible.
This essay covers different topics based around the belief that many crimes go unrecorded, undetected or unsolved. This essay suggests that the amount of criminal acts within the UK have been underestimated.
The figures in DD121 Introductory Chapter show that In the year 1945, total offences where recorded at 478,394 increasing to 5,171,000 reported in 2000. These figures give the impression that crime has increased dramatically in the last fifty years. This could be true and crime could have increased for several reasons. Perhaps the lack of community spirit which once existed, has diminished, leaving individuals to fend for themselves. Alternatively, maybe the attitudes of society in the 21st century have changed so much that crime is now thought to be an acceptable way to improve ones lifestyle.
5,171,000, this figure represents criminals convicted in the year 2000, but this only demonstrates how well the police are performing in their duties as crime stoppers, what it doesn’t show is the actual amount of all crimes committed in that year. One report estimates that around 130 million serious offences were committed in one year in the late 1990s (Richard...