SOC 1500 Lecture Notes - Lecture 3: Official Statistics

• School: University of Guelph
• Department: Sociology
• Course: SOC 1500
• Professor: Stephanie Howells

Document Summary

Crime rates depend on: victim"s willingness to report ability of police to investigate. Victimization surveys & self-reporting may be better indicators of total crime rates. Self-reporting - victim reports to authorities that a crime has occurred. Victimization surveys - samples asked how many times within given period they have been victims of particular crimes. Often called conventional crimes, ; considered crimes most agree are serious and in need of punishment. Homicide - the killing of a human being by another, directly or indirectly, by any means. Murder - the unlawful killing of another human being with malicious intent. Manslaughter - the unlawful killing of another person without sufficient intent to constitute murder. Common, accounting for nearly 90% of all reported violent crimes. Sexual assault - most seriously rape, but also sexual harassment. Major non-violent crimes include: theft, mischief, and property damage; drug production and trafficking; breaking and entering; vice crimes.