AC1.2: Explain the reasons that certain crimes are unreported.
Numerous crimes in society go unreported for a variety of reasons. This could be due to a
personal reason a social and cultural reason, or even a victimless reason.
Personal Reasons
Personal reasons often include factors such as fear. Individuals may not report a crime due
to the fear of the consequences that involve reporting a crime. For example, within an
honour crime, a person may be fearful of getting disowned or even killed by their community
or family by ‘betraying’ and exposing the crime committed.
A crime also may not be reported due to the shame it carries with it. People might feel
embarrassed about reporting a crime. In some cases, victims of sexual assault may not want
to report such a crime due to the shame of other people knowing they were vulnerable.
Other personal factors include a lack of interest surrounding the witness. Many people
simply walk past a pedestrian who is either homeless or could be high on illegal substances
due to the fact it does not interfere with their day-to-day life.
Lastly, people may not report a crime because it does not affect them. Countless times
individuals walk past acts of vandalism, such as graffiti or criminal damage because it is
simply not their property and would assume someone else will report it.
Social and Cultural
Another reason certain crimes are unreported is due to social and cultural reasons. A
common reason they go unreported is often due to the lack of knowledge surrounding that
crime. For instance, a crime taking place on social media, such as cyberbullying may go
unreported due to people, especially young people, have become so insensitive to bullying
online that they might not even acknowledge that it is a crime, and care to report it (or even
know how to).
Complexity can also be another reason why crimes go unreported. For example, the
average person is not going to have the knowledge surrounding white-collar crimes and the
obscured fraudulent transactions that take place.
Lack of current public concern is also a major reason why people do not report crimes. Mass
amounts of people commit technological crimes, such as downloading illegal music because
of the gratification of listening to music free of charge. Meaning that many people do not
even accept that it is a crime, due to the normalisation of it.
Culture-bound crimes are a specific type of crime that many people have no knowledge of or
have no understanding of. Individuals may not report the crime as they do not want to
interfere with anything beyond their culture and experience. However, individuals may not
report it as it is normalised within their culture and would not see it as a problem.
Numerous crimes in society go unreported for a variety of reasons. This could be due to a
personal reason a social and cultural reason, or even a victimless reason.
Personal Reasons
Personal reasons often include factors such as fear. Individuals may not report a crime due
to the fear of the consequences that involve reporting a crime. For example, within an
honour crime, a person may be fearful of getting disowned or even killed by their community
or family by ‘betraying’ and exposing the crime committed.
A crime also may not be reported due to the shame it carries with it. People might feel
embarrassed about reporting a crime. In some cases, victims of sexual assault may not want
to report such a crime due to the shame of other people knowing they were vulnerable.
Other personal factors include a lack of interest surrounding the witness. Many people
simply walk past a pedestrian who is either homeless or could be high on illegal substances
due to the fact it does not interfere with their day-to-day life.
Lastly, people may not report a crime because it does not affect them. Countless times
individuals walk past acts of vandalism, such as graffiti or criminal damage because it is
simply not their property and would assume someone else will report it.
Social and Cultural
Another reason certain crimes are unreported is due to social and cultural reasons. A
common reason they go unreported is often due to the lack of knowledge surrounding that
crime. For instance, a crime taking place on social media, such as cyberbullying may go
unreported due to people, especially young people, have become so insensitive to bullying
online that they might not even acknowledge that it is a crime, and care to report it (or even
know how to).
Complexity can also be another reason why crimes go unreported. For example, the
average person is not going to have the knowledge surrounding white-collar crimes and the
obscured fraudulent transactions that take place.
Lack of current public concern is also a major reason why people do not report crimes. Mass
amounts of people commit technological crimes, such as downloading illegal music because
of the gratification of listening to music free of charge. Meaning that many people do not
even accept that it is a crime, due to the normalisation of it.
Culture-bound crimes are a specific type of crime that many people have no knowledge of or
have no understanding of. Individuals may not report the crime as they do not want to
interfere with anything beyond their culture and experience. However, individuals may not
report it as it is normalised within their culture and would not see it as a problem.
