Crime Is The Dark Figure Of Crime Essay

Many sociologists argue that crime is not randomly patterned; some groups within society are much more likely to be victims of crime than others. Gender, ethnicity and social class are three key characteristics that may influence the likelihood of victimisation. However, it is very difficult to measure rates of victimisation because relatively little crime is reported to the police. This means that a huge proportion of crime is hidden, which is referred to as the ‘dark figure of crime,’ and for every hidden crime, there is a potential hidden victim. Although this is true, the information we do have about victimization relates to different theories, statistics, and views.

Lifestyle theory and activities theory are largely used to understand why people are victimized. Simply put, lifestyle theory explains that certain people are more likely to be a victim of crime based on their lifestyles. Putting oneself in certain situations such as walking alone at night or being drunk in the streets would be a clear example of lifestyle theory, because that person is putting himself/herself at risk. Routine activities theory argues that people who engage in routine activities are at a bigger risk for victimization. Along with these theories are more personal explanations

They link this to the patriarchal nature of society, meaning that it is in the interests of men to cover their crimes by discouraging women from reporting crimes they have been a victim of. This may be due to low prosecution rates, fear of not being believed, and having to relive the trauma by giving testimony. However, in contrast to feminist views, statistically males are significantly more likely than females to be victims of crime. “It could also be argued that male rape victims are even more likely to be ‘hidden’ than female victims, due to the perceived added social taboo of being a male rape victim” (Walby, S., and Allen,