Self-report studies

• Self-report studies are conducted using anonymous self-completion questionnaires.
• SRS advantages

  • Graham & Bowling's use of SRS showed that crime rates for black and white youths are almost equal, 43% for blacks, 43% for whites
  • Campbell's SRS found female and males crime rates were much closer than in police recorded figures. Her findings were for 1 crime committed by woman, men committed 1.5, but OCS show 1 for every 5.
  • Edinburgh Study of Youth Transitions and Crime used SRS to see trends and track changes. Showed that there was a strong correlation between offending rates and the use of alcohol and friends who were also offenders
• SRS Disadvantages

  • Feminists argue that it fails to highlight the way women are mistreated by the criminal justice system and the victimisation that women suffer.
  • Unrepresentative as they mostly concern young adults and minor crimes so can not be generalised across the older population and other types of crime
  • Participants may make false claims - Farrington suggests older people may conceal offending as they want to present a facade of respectability which may lower validity
  • Communities who mistrust police may also mistrust SRS so under-report which lowers validity.