1.3- Explain the consequences of unreported crime
Ripple effect
Crime can often go unreported and lead to many consequences , one of these is the
ripple effect. This is the idea of a pebble being dropped into a pond creating ripples
that spread out. In perspective of a crime the pebble is the illegal act that affects not
just immediate victims, but across a community of society to secondary victims as a
consequence of the crime being unreported. An example of this is, hate crimes
towards ethnic minorities. Although the crime is applied to one person the
consequence of the crime going unreported will affect the whole community.
Therefore showing that a crime can be committed to affect a certain individual, but
due to it being unreported, it can often lead to a large community being negatively
affected.
Broken windows theory
Another consequence of unreported crime is the broken windows theory. This theory
was put forward by Wilson and Kelling (1982) who suggested that, if a minor crime
goes unreported and is not addressed by the police then it will eventually lead to a
more serious crime. “Broken windows” means a lack of public concern for others in
the community. So the broken windows would remain unprepared showing that
people don't care. For example in neighborhoods or locations that are run down,
where the community cares less about its image, people are likely to walk past
already see damage such as graffiti on a wall or run down houses and then add
even more to the existing damage such as vandalism to the property. This therefore
shows that if crime in these lower class neighbourhoods are not reported and no one
of authority such as the police cares, the damage will worsen. Wilson and Kelling
stated strategies to halt this decline in tolerance of crime. One of which is “an
environmental improvement strategy” which states damage must be repaired
immediately, with the hopes of no one adding to the damage that's already been
done. The second strategy is a “zero tolerance policy”, which means the police must
tackle even the slightest sign of disorder (even if it's not criminal).
Unrecorded crime
Crimes can also go unrecorded. Reasons for this include, the police may not believe
the story or have enough evidence, the victim may not want to press charges and
finally the police may not want to investigate (for priority reasons). This then leads to
the dark figure of crime, where if police choose not to record a crime then it does not
appear on statistics. Along with these are the crimes that no-one has witnessed, not
reported, or not recorded. An example of crime that is a part of the “dark figure of
crime” is cannabis possession, this will not get reported in most scenarios which
leads to it not being recorded as there are no direct victims and people don't really
care and can't be bothered as “it's their life not mine”. Therefore with unrecorded
crimes you get a distorted picture of crime that is painted across the country and
neglecting crimes that could become important.
Ripple effect
Crime can often go unreported and lead to many consequences , one of these is the
ripple effect. This is the idea of a pebble being dropped into a pond creating ripples
that spread out. In perspective of a crime the pebble is the illegal act that affects not
just immediate victims, but across a community of society to secondary victims as a
consequence of the crime being unreported. An example of this is, hate crimes
towards ethnic minorities. Although the crime is applied to one person the
consequence of the crime going unreported will affect the whole community.
Therefore showing that a crime can be committed to affect a certain individual, but
due to it being unreported, it can often lead to a large community being negatively
affected.
Broken windows theory
Another consequence of unreported crime is the broken windows theory. This theory
was put forward by Wilson and Kelling (1982) who suggested that, if a minor crime
goes unreported and is not addressed by the police then it will eventually lead to a
more serious crime. “Broken windows” means a lack of public concern for others in
the community. So the broken windows would remain unprepared showing that
people don't care. For example in neighborhoods or locations that are run down,
where the community cares less about its image, people are likely to walk past
already see damage such as graffiti on a wall or run down houses and then add
even more to the existing damage such as vandalism to the property. This therefore
shows that if crime in these lower class neighbourhoods are not reported and no one
of authority such as the police cares, the damage will worsen. Wilson and Kelling
stated strategies to halt this decline in tolerance of crime. One of which is “an
environmental improvement strategy” which states damage must be repaired
immediately, with the hopes of no one adding to the damage that's already been
done. The second strategy is a “zero tolerance policy”, which means the police must
tackle even the slightest sign of disorder (even if it's not criminal).
Unrecorded crime
Crimes can also go unrecorded. Reasons for this include, the police may not believe
the story or have enough evidence, the victim may not want to press charges and
finally the police may not want to investigate (for priority reasons). This then leads to
the dark figure of crime, where if police choose not to record a crime then it does not
appear on statistics. Along with these are the crimes that no-one has witnessed, not
reported, or not recorded. An example of crime that is a part of the “dark figure of
crime” is cannabis possession, this will not get reported in most scenarios which
leads to it not being recorded as there are no direct victims and people don't really
care and can't be bothered as “it's their life not mine”. Therefore with unrecorded
crimes you get a distorted picture of crime that is painted across the country and
neglecting crimes that could become important.
