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Describe and Evaluate the Use of Victim Surveys as a Measurement of Criminal Activity
- Words:
- 1022
- Submitted:
- Mon Nov 08 2004

... Describe and Evaluate the Use of Victim Surveys as a Measurement of Criminal Activity Background Information The first victim surveys were carried out in the USA during the late 1960's (Biederman et al 1967, Ennis 1967 and Reiss 1967). There is a wide range of methodologies available for victim research but the most important means of data collection can be offered by household surveys. Description The British Crime Survey (M.Hough and Mayhew 1983) selected 16,000 households and interviewed at least one member who was 16 years or older from each household. The aim of the interviews was to see what sort of attitudes people had about crime, if they had been a victim of crime and to give details of the crime if they had encountered any. This survey agreed with Sparks (1981) who noted that 'criminal victimization is an extremely rare event... crimes of violence are extremely uncommon'. Common crimes nowadays are more like














