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Criminology Unit 1 controlled assessment notes
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These are the notes that I used in my resit of the unit 1 controlled assessment for criminology (Changing awareness of crime)
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A.C 1.2: Explain the reasons that certain crimes are unreportedPersonal reasons
Fear Victim may be concerned that there will be reprisals if reported to the police
If victim knows offender, may be afraid that reporting might lead to further actions against them
May also fear the possible consequences for their families and those close to them
Shame Being the victim may cause embarrassment or shame
May not want to admit that it has happened or how it makes them feel, or how it makes them appear to others = failing to report
the crime to police
Disinterest May go unreported as the witnesses of the crime are disinterested.
E.g. Teenagers drinking in the park
Not affected by the crime Similar to disinterest
May not be personally affected by a particular crime, leading to them not feeling the need to report to the police
E.g. Seeing someone breaking into someone's car - doesn’t affect them personally
Social and cultural reasons
Lack of knowledge May not know a crime or particular action is against the law = don’t report
Lack the knowledge of how to make a report or who to make it to
Complexity Some crimes are very complex, can be difficult to tell whether a crime has been committed
E.g. White collar crimes
If a crime is not discovered in the first place, can’t be reported
Lack of media interest Much of knowledge is gained through the coverage of the media, increased the awareness and may make witnesses and
victims of the sorts of crimes covered by the media more likely to report
Crimes that aren’t covered by the media mayn’t get reported to police
, If media don’t sensitise their audiences to a given type of crime, public is less vigilant or anxious about it and less likely to
notice it or report
If an interest is taken by the media for a certain crime = increase in the crime’s profile and encourage victims of similar
offences to report
Lack of current public concern If crime isn’t causing public concern then it’s less likely to be reported
Culture-bound crime UK - multicultural society, with range of different beliefs and cultural practices
Cultural practices of some groups may break the law - E.g. FGM and forced marriage
Some communities may mean they aren’t reported to the police. For members of the community in question, this may be
because they see no wrong in the activity, as well there may be a fear of reprisal from their own community if the crime does
get reported and people outside of the community may feel that they shouldn’t interfere in other people’s cultures
, A.C.1.3: Explain the consequences of unreported crime
The ripple effect Unreported crime may affect not just the immediate or primary victim, but’ll spread across a whole community or
society to then affect secondary victims. Can occur for many types of crime
Cultural consequences People from different cultures sometimes view the same action differently, therefore some practices that are seen as
unacceptable and are against the law in the UK are acceptable to some from other cultures
E.G. FGM
Decriminalisation and legal change Some actions are widespread in society despite being against the law
E.G. Cannabis
Many members of the public see it as relatively harmless and victimless crime, therefore goes unreported
Police prioritisation
Some kinds of crime go unreported often, e.g. Domestic abuse = police are unaware of the scale of the offending, leading to them
not prioritising the offence. Leading to, once the public becomes aware of the police not prioritising a certain crime, it leads to them
being less likely to report this types of crime as they believe the police will not deal with them
Have limited resources Leads to them not being able to investigate every single crime. Govt. spending cuts has lead to forces having to make decisions
about what crimes to concentrate on
The local population Concerns about the certain types of crime or antisocial behaviour that they want the police to deal with
Media May focus on a particular type of crime and call for action by the police
Home office Particular priorities that it wants the police throughout England and Wales to tackle
E.G. Human trafficking
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