Measuring crime

Start with ways of measuring crime

This topic is part of the Crime and Deviance unit in Sociology. Begin with the mind map Crime and deviance, which sets out methods for measuring crime. It includes police-recorded crime and statistics on people convicted of offenses, alongside advantages of official statistics. Use it to get an overview before looking more closely at how the figures are collected and interpreted.

The notes on measuring crime also describe police-recorded crime as an indicator of police workload. They offer another way to read about the role of recorded crime in measuring offending.

Look at strengths and limits

The Crime Statistics mind map sets out advantages and limitations of official crime statistics. It includes their use in developing or testing sociological explanations and in shaping or evaluating policy. As you read, compare these points with the methods in the first map.

Then use the CTP flash cards to practice questions about why statistics are collected, their benefits and criticisms, and other sources of crime statistics. The flashcards on collecting crime and deviance information also ask why people may not report a crime and why police-recorded statistics can be seen as a social construction.

Connect statistics with patterns

Patterns & Trends in Crime maps crime patterns using categories including social class, gender, age and ethnicity. Patterns of Crime also looks at location. These maps connect the measurement questions on this page with the wider Crime and Deviance unit: they give you examples of patterns to consider alongside the strengths and limits of the statistics.

Practice with maps and flashcards

There are no quizzes listed on this topic page, so use the flashcards alongside the maps for question practice. Study a map first, then work through a related deck and return to the map when you want to check a connection. Choose a map and a flashcard deck to explore together.